Heating bills and charges
How our tariff is structured
As a customer that is connected to our heat network, you will benefit from an all-inclusive service.
We keep things simple with a single tariff, with only two parts: a fixed charge and a usage charge.
1. Fixed charge - this is a fixed amount charged each day which covers:
- The cost to provide and maintain your metering and billing system and customer services.
- The cost to operate, maintain and run our energy centre.
- The costs to operate, maintain and replace the heat network and heating equipment that we own and are responsible for. So, there is no additional charge to you for repairing or replacing your HIU or heat meter.
The fixed charge is a daily charge that is payable even if no heating and hot water has been consumed, for example when you’re away from home.
2. Usage charge – this is the cost for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of heating and hot water used in your home. It varies each month depending on how much heating and hot water is used.
Accurate heat bills
The heat meter in your home measures how much heat energy is used and sends this information to us so we can send you accurate bills. If there’s a problem getting these meter readings, we’ll use an estimate based on your previous bills or industry guidelines.
How to pay for your heating and hot water
The way you pay for your heating and hot water depends on the way the heat meter is set up in your property. Your meter will be set up in one of two default payment settings: credit or pay-as-you-go. If you rent your property, the payment setting may be set by your landlord. If you are interested in a different payment setting once you have moved in, please contact our customer care team.
Credit meters
Here are the payment methods we accept:
By variable direct debit – the easiest way to pay your bill is by variable direct debit. This ensures your bills are paid on time. You can set up variable direct debit online via your customer account, through the ‘My Vattenfall UK’ app, or by calling our Customer Care team.
Online – you can pay online through your customer account and via the ‘My Vattenfall UK’ app using your debit or credit card.
We’ll send you a bill each month by email (unless you’ve requested paper bills) outlining the amount of heat and hot water you used in the past month and the charge for this. You’ll find all your bills stored online in your customer account and in the ‘My Vattenfall UK’ app.
Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) meters
If you’re a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customer, you pay for your heat and hot water in advance by adding credit to your account. It’s like having a PAYG mobile contract. The meter will deduct payments each day to cover the fixed and usage charges for the heat used.
We’ve designed our PAYG option with your convenience in mind. It makes paying for your heating easy, flexible and transparent. Instead of receiving monthly bills, your in-home display shows your live credit balance, and gives an estimate of how long your credit will last for based on your heating and hot water usage pattern. You can also track your credit balance online and by using the ‘My Vattenfall UK’ app.
If you’re a PAYG customer, these are the payment methods we accept:
Online – you can top up online through your customer account or via the ‘My Vattenfall UK’ app using your debit or credit card.
Over the phone – you can call our Customer Care team on 0808 143 3633 and top up over the phone.
At a PayPoint outlet – you can top up in-person at any PayPoint outlet using your PayPoint payment barcode. This can be found in your app and at the top right corner of your welcome letter. You can find your local PayPoint outlet here.
Try to always keep your account in credit to avoid any temporary suspension to your heating and hot water supply. We provide £5 emergency credit that you can choose to activate if you run out of credit. This is paid back when you next top up.
Payment difficulties
We understand your circumstances can change, which could impact your ability to pay for your heating and hot water. If you’re experiencing payment difficulties, please contact our Customer Care team.
We’re here to help and will work with you to find a solution.
Please don’t delay – failure to make payments might result in your heat being suspended, which could incur additional costs to reconnect your supply.
We’ll always let you know if there’s any risk of disconnection, and we’ll always listen to understand your circumstances. Keeping us informed of your situation will help us support you in the best way possible.
Business customers
If you’re a business customer, you can find further information on how you pay in your heat supply agreement.
Tariff reviews
We review our charges at least once a year but not more than once every six months. If we need to make an adjustment to our tariff, we’ll always give you 31 days’ notice and an explanation of why it’s changed.
If you have any questions about how we set our tariffs and when we review them, please contact our Customer Care team who’ll be happy to discuss this. You can also talk to us in-person at our regular customer engagement sessions that take place near you.
