Updated on 20/01/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
If you’re a pay as you go customer whose vulnerable or relies on your supply for mains powered electrical equipment (supply critical customers) & we’ve been trying to reach you it may be because you’ve not topped up in a while & might be without power. If we aren’t able to get in touch we will send a visitor (after 72 hours of being off supply) to check in and talk about how we can help.
We also want you to know that if you can’t afford to top up, we’re here to help. Don’t worry
if this doesn’t apply to you – we just want to make sure that anyone who needs support gets it quickly.
These topics may be helpful:
Quick hints and tricks to see if you can get back on supply yourself! - Is my gas supply actually off? & Is my electricity supply actually off?
Click on the link for Pay As You Go Smart Meter off supply?
Pay As You Go Smart Meter with top up issues?
Need financial support or questions about your debt balance? Get advice here
Sometimes it might look like your electricity supply isn’t on, even if you’ve just topped up. There are a number of reasons why it can seem like your supply isn’t on even when it is, here are a few ways to fix some of those yourself.
Traditional PAYG Electric Meters
Error on meter
Many key errors can be sorted by cleaning the chip on the key using a clean, dry cloth, or by blowing inside the key slot.
You can check the error code against our helpful topic here.
There’s credit on your meter but no supply
If there’s credit on the meter but still no supply, there are a few things you should check:
1. Check your meter display, if there’s credit on the meter with an E at the end (for example A: £10.00E) then it means the meter’s in debt of -£10 and needs to be topped up £10 to restore the supply.
2. If there’s credit without the letter E, then electricity is flowing through the meter and the fault is somewhere else in your property, and not with the meter.
3. Look for your consumer unit/trip switches and make sure all of your trip switches are in an upward position. This should bring your supply back on.
(Example of consumer unit, exact type may vary)
If your credit has run out on your electricity smart meter and your electricity supply has switched off, you’ll need to add credit and re-enable your supply.
You can find a tutorial video for your meter type on how to re-enable your meter here.
No display on the meter and no supply
This is most likely a power cut in your area, as it’s a sign that there’s no power going into your meter from the main electricity line coming into your property. Here’s what to do:
1. Find out who your local network distributor is using Power Cut 105.
2. Contact your Network Provider to report a power cut. They should let you know when they’ll be out to fix the issue.
Smart PAYG Electric Meters
My Top Up isn’t showing on the meter
If you’ve made a payment to top up your meter then there’ll be a 20 digit number on your receipt. It’ll usually start with 1 of the following numbers 74/73/36/32/17. You can manually enter this into either your meter or In Home Display. Instructions may be different based on your meter type. You can find your meter on our dedicated topic here.
There’s credit on the meter but no supply
If your meter doesn't tell you in words that you're off supply and that it needs to be re-enabled, it might show the symbol shown below instead:
The symbol is made up of 2 circles with a line between them. If the line touches both circles, like it does for the top symbol, then your meter is OK and doesn't need to be re-enabled.
If the symbol shows the line touching 1 but not both of the circles, like in the second image below, then your meter needs to be re-enabled.
If you need to re-enable your meter, follow the re-enabling instructions based on your meter type. You’ll be able to find a video on how to re-enable your own meter type here.
Symbol shows 2 circles connected by a straight line on the meter but no supply
Look for your consumer unit/trip switches and make sure all of your trip switches are in an upward position. This should bring your supply back on.
(See the following example of consumer unit pictured above).
No display on the meter and no supply
This is most likely a power cut in your area, as it is a sign that there’s no power going into your meter from the main electricity line coming into your property. Here’s what to do:
1. Find out who your local network distributor is using Power Cut 105.
2. Contact your Network Provider to report a power cut. They should let you know when they’ll be out to fix the issue.
If you’re still experiencing trouble after trying all of these, please contact our Support Team:
- The best way to get in touch with us is via chat here. Just click the green chat icon on the bottom right of your screen. We’re here to help anytime from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
- Or call us on 0330 175 9669 - Opening hours: Mon-Thu 8am to 8pm, Friday 8am to 6pm, Sat-Sun 8am to 5pm.
- You can also contact our team via Facebook, X or Instagram: Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm, Sat-Sun 8am to 5pm.