Can my energy be cut off for debt?
Disconnection is rare and tightly controlled. Here are the rules suppliers must follow, who is protected, and what happens if your supply does go off.
Applies to: England, Scotland & Wales
What to do now
- Contact the supplier now and ask for a payment plan based on your ability to pay.
- Tell it, in writing, about anyone in the home who is older, disabled, unwell or a young child.
- If disconnection has been threatened, follow the steps in threatened with disconnection.
What a supplier must do first
- A bill goes unpaid. After 28 days the supplier may contact you about the possibility of disconnection.
- It must give you the chance to pay the debt through a payment plan.
- It must tell you if it is applying to court for a warrant to enter your home.
- Once it has a warrant, it must give you seven days’ written notice before disconnecting.
In practice, suppliers usually fit a prepayment meter rather than disconnect — prepayment meters and debt. A smart meter can only be switched off remotely after the supplier has contacted you about repayment options and visited your home.
Who is protected
| Who | Protection |
|---|---|
| State Pension age, living alone or only with others of pension age or children under 18 | Cannot be disconnected between 1 October and 31 March. |
| Anyone of pension age, disabled, or with a long-term physical or mental health condition | The supplier must offer support, such as a payment plan, first. |
| Households with children under 16 (suppliers signed up to the Energy UK commitment) | No disconnection between 1 October and 31 March. |
| Disabled people, people with long-term health problems or severe financial problems, homes with children under six (Energy UK commitment) | No disconnection at any time of year. |
Suppliers that have not signed the Energy UK commitment should still take your situation into account. Being on the Priority Services Register makes sure the supplier knows about it.
Running out of credit on prepayment
For most people, losing supply happens because a prepayment meter runs out, not because a supplier disconnects them. If you are struggling to top up, tell your supplier straight away: ask about emergency credit, a lower debt recovery rate and its hardship fund.
Getting reconnected
You need to pay the debt and any reconnection charges, which must be reasonable, or agree a plan to repay them. The supplier must then reconnect you within 24 hours, or within 24 hours of the next working day if you pay out of hours. If it is late, it must pay you £40 compensation. You cannot be asked for a security deposit if you have a prepayment meter.
If you dispute the bill
Tell the supplier in writing which charges you dispute and why, and ask for them to be checked against real meter readings. If you are not happy with the answer, you can take a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman after eight weeks, free of charge. Northern Ireland has a different energy market — see Northern Ireland.
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.
Common questions
Can my electricity be cut off in winter?
Not if you are of State Pension age and live alone or only with other pensioners or children under 18. Suppliers signed up to the Energy UK commitment also do not disconnect homes with children under 16 between 1 October and 31 March.
Can a smart meter be switched off remotely for debt?
Only after the supplier has contacted you about repayment options and visited your home. Switching it to prepayment mode without your agreement counts as an involuntary install, with its own rules.
How quickly must I be reconnected?
Within 24 hours of paying, or agreeing a plan for, the debt and charges. If the supplier is late, it must pay you £40 compensation.