Billing and payments

If you are paying by a fixed budget plan, your first payment will be collected approximately 2 weeks after you switch to SmartestEnergy Business. We’ll confirm the exact amount and date closer to the time, so you know what to expect. Payment will be shown as ‘SmartestEnergy Business’ on the following bank statement. If you have chosen variable payment, this will be collected in line with the date advised on your first invoice, typically 10 days after issue.

Our main bill run is completed around the first week of every month for the previous month. If you have only just joined us, it may take a little longer to receive an invoice from us depending on your service start date. If paying by budget plan, your invoice will confirm any payment that may have been previously collected. 

If you have recently joined us or are awaiting installation of a smart meter, you can provide a meter reading for an accurate bill. If we do not receive a reading, we will send a bill based on estimated consumption. Once we have installed a smart meter, readings will be taken automatically. In some instances, we may still have to issue an estimated or part-estimated bill for your usage, for example if we’re unable to connect to your smart meter. 

• Fixed payment - we set a budget plan which allows you to manage your outgoings by spreading your energy costs evenly over the year with a fixed payment, collected by Direct Debit on or around the same day each month. This gives you certainty over cash flow and helps avoid seasonal fluctuations like when costs are higher in the Winter period.
• Variable payment – the opposite to fixed, this allows you to simply pay for what you use, collected by monthly Direct Debit, typically 10 days after we have issued an invoice. If you’re ok with energy costs that can seasonally fluctuate, then this payment method may better suit your business.
• Pay as you go - where you pay in advance for your energy service credit. You can top-up when it suits you best, either by phone or online, with an amount that works for your cash flow. It’s available on our SmartPay product to businesses either without a credit rating, who are in the hospitality sector or simply wanting to take full control of their energy costs.

This is a fixed payment method collected each month by Direct Debit. A budget plan helps you avoid seasonal fluctuations by spreading the cost of your electricity. Payments are taken once a month, on or around the same day which some customers find helpful for their cash flow. Automated readings provided by your smart meter are used to monitor usage and keep the payment amount accurate. 

We calculate your annual spend using your agreed prices and EAC (estimated annual consumption) and then split the total into 12 equal monthly payment amounts. Once your smart meter is installed, we’ll use regular readings to ensure your payment amount remains accurate. If you start to pay too much or too little, we’ll adjust the monthly payment amount, giving you at least 10 days’ notice before making a collection. 

If your account builds up a significant amount of credit, whilst you could use this for future invoice payments, we appreciate some businesses would prefer to be refunded. Simply make the request with our customer services team who’ll be happy to help. Refund requests will be processed in line with our refund policy and in many cases completed within 10 working days.

If you’re experiencing financial difficulty and can’t pay your energy bills, please get in touch with us as soon as possible. We’re here to support you any way we can and will discuss the options available to your business. It’s important that you don’t ignore the signs of financial debt. Other free and independent advice is available from Business Deptline and Citizens Advice. 

The price you pay for your electricity and gas comprises of energy and non-energy (pass-through) costs. We fix the price for your energy costs for the duration of your contract, however pass-through costs are variable and out of our control, relating to other 3rd parties in the energy supply chain. To learn more about pass-through costs please view our customer help guide.

If your business is eligible to pay reduced VAT, please complete the reduced VAT form in the useful document section below and return it by email to customerservices.business@smartestenergy.com