Money Matters: How to get free support from your energy supplier with the Priority Services Register

In this week’s Money Matters column, Wrekin’s Debt and Energy manager Dan Bebbington explains the free support you could be entitled to from your energy supplier, and how to get it.

There are many people who struggle to communicate with their energy supplier for one reason or another. It could be because of a visual or hearing impairment, a mental health condition, or a language barrier.

There are also people who depend on their energy supply for medical equipment or because of a medical condition.

If any of these apply to you, you should ask your energy supplier to be added to their Priority Services Register.

Being on the register will ensure that your supplier understands your needs, so they can communicate appropriately with you and offer you tailored support.

As well as the reasons mentioned above, there are a number of other criteria that could make you eligible for the register.

These include those with a child under five, as well as anyone who is pregnant, of state pension age, or has a disability or long-term health condition.

If you would struggle to answer the door or get help in an emergency, or if you have a poor sense of smell, you could also qualify.

Other criteria include if you are recovering from an injury, or if you require short-term support, for example after a hospital stay or because of a bereavement.

Once you are on your supplier’s register, you will receive priority support in an emergency and when calling your operator, and advance notice of planned power cuts wherever possible.

Depending on your needs and preferences, you could also set a password with your supplier to reassure you that any calls or visits are genuine, or request communication in a different format such as large print or braille.

If you struggle to access your pre-payment meter, it could be relocated for you.

Other options include nominating someone to receive communications and bills for you, and a regular meter reading service if you struggle to do it yourself.

Water companies also have their own priority services registers offering support with communicating and reading your meter, if you have one.

It’s especially important to make your water company aware if you rely on your water supply because of a medical condition.

You will need to contact your energy and water suppliers separately to get on their registers.

Likewise, if you get your gas and electricity from different providers, you will need to get in touch with them both.

If you change address but stay with the same supplier, you will stay on their register. However if you switch supplier you will need to register again.

You can be on the register even if you’re not the account holder, or if you don’t pay energy bills for example because they are included in your rent.

We know there are people who are not on these registers but should be. This could be because they don’t know about it, don’t understand it or need some help to get signed up.

If you think you should be on your suppliers’ priority services register but need help contacting them, you can ask someone to do it on your behalf.

Wrekin Housing Group customers can also get in touch with our Energy Advisor by contacting our Money Matters team.

10th April 2024