Have you ever wondered if you might be leaving money on the table with your energy supplier? Many customers in Northern Ireland could be sitting with large amounts of credit built up with their energy supplier and are unaware they can claim it back.
Across Great Britain (GB) energy firms are said to be sitting on over £3 BILLION of customers’ cash. Yes, there may be around 28million electricity customers in GB but with almost 900K customers in NI there is still likely to be millions of pounds in credit held by suppliers.
So, whether it’s from overestimated bills or simply not adjusting direct debit payments to align better to usage, you could have more money to your name. Let’s dive into why and how you should check for this potential windfall.
What does ‘energy credit’ mean (and why it’s not always a bad idea)
A credit balance on your energy account means that you’ve paid more to your supplier than you’ve actually used in energy. If you have a small amount of credit sitting in your energy account, that can be a good thing as it will mean money will go towards your energy use during the colder months without you having to pay extra.
Suppliers will often try to smooth out energy bills across the year to avoid high-use winter bill shocks. Naturally we use a lot more energy at winter time compared to summer time…but by paying the same amount throughout the year we build up some credit over the warmer months which can offset the hight usage at winter – this profile is detailed below.
To set your Direct Debit, most energy suppliers take your annual cost and divide it by 12 to determine a monthly cost. Whilst the idea is good often credit can build up because
- if your actual energy usage is lower than what was predicted then credit will build on your account
- Family or household circumstances have changed meaning you use less energy
- Changes in energy prices that aren’t reflected in your estimated bills.
How does this look for a customer?
Many customers will have seen their direct debit payments increase over recent years as the cost of electricity and gas has shot up. But as prices have dropped back, and as people cut back on their energy use, many may have built up credit on their accounts.
As we said having a month or two cover in terms of credit on your Direct Debit would generally be a good idea. For example, if your Monthly Direct Debit is £70 then keeping around £100 – £140 in credit may be a good idea and will help offset any debt that could be built up over winter.
But if you have more than this, and many people have hundreds of pounds in credit requesting a partial refund is a sensible approach. The money is better in your pocket.
How to check if you have credit
Suppliers are required to review your account and payments on a regular basis but checking if you have a credit with your energy supplier is simpler than you might think. Here’s how to get started:
- Review Your Latest Bill: Look for terms like ‘Account Balance’ or ‘Amount Credit.’ If the figure is in the positive, that’s your unclaimed money.
- Log Into Your Online Account: Most energy suppliers provide a detailed account history online, where you can track your payments and usage.
- Meter Read: Have an up-to-date meter reading
- Contact Customer Service: If in doubt, a quick call to your supplier’s customer service can clarify any confusion. They can provide immediate insights into your account status.
Don’t forget to ask about the process for reclaiming your credit. Some suppliers might automatically apply it to future bills, but if you prefer a refund, they can arrange that too.
You can claim credit at any time. But before claiming back any money, think about whether you’re likely to have higher energy bills in the months ahead or if it will be difficult to pay your bills without keeping the credit on your account
If you need to contact your supplier to confirm whether your account is in credit or to request / process a refund the contact details for each supplier are below:
Take action: check your account
The money you’ve already paid could be doing more for you right now. By simply taking a moment to check your energy account, you might find that you have a credit waiting to be claimed. Why let your hard-earned money sit unused when it could be helping you elsewhere?
Don’t wait – call your energy supplier today and ask about your account balance. It’s a step toward better financial health and energy awareness. Who knows? You might just have a nice surprise waiting for you in your energy account!
And you could save even more by switching – if you haven’t switched deals in the last 12 months, you’re likely paying too much for your energy, so it pays to compare. In fact, last month, the average annual saving for our customers was £417.
