Your energy supplier is threatening disconnection
Disconnection is rare and heavily restricted. Here is exactly what to do, what they can and cannot do, and where to get free help today.
You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation. We would rather you got good advice somewhere than bad advice from anyone.
What to do now
- Call the supplier and ask for their financial difficulty team, not general customer service.
- Ask to be added to the Priority Services Register. It is free and available to anyone with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, children under five, or pension age.
- Ask for a repayment plan based on your income and outgoings. The supplier must consider your ability to pay.
- Ask what hardship or arrears write-off fund the supplier operates. Several of the large suppliers run them.
- If you receive certain benefits, ask about Fuel Direct — arrears paid at a fixed weekly rate straight from your benefit.
- Check your entitlement to the Warm Home Discount and to your local council's Household Support Fund.
- If the supplier is not treating you fairly, complain in writing, then take it to the Energy Ombudsman after eight weeks. Both are free.
What else you need to know
Prepayment meters are the more likely outcome than disconnection, and even those require the supplier to follow a defined process including attempted contact, a vulnerability assessment and a site welfare visit. If a meter has been installed without that process, complain.
Where to get help today, free
You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation. We would rather you got good advice somewhere than bad advice from anyone.
If you are in crisis and struggling to cope, Samaritans can be reached free on 116 123, at any hour, from any phone.
Once the immediate pressure is off
Understanding your longer-term options is the thing that stops this happening again. Eight questions, and we will show you what applies where you live.
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