Emergency Credit Not Working? Your Rights and What to Do Next
Your balance hit zero, your emergency credit didn’t kick in, and now you’re without energy. This shouldn’t happen — and if it has, your supplier has almost certainly failed in their duty to you.
Here’s exactly what your rights are, what your supplier is obligated to do, and how to make sure it gets fixed properly.
What your supplier is legally required to do
Under Ofgem’s rules, your energy supplier must take all reasonable steps to prevent self-disconnection — the term for what happens when a prepayment customer runs out of credit and loses their supply.
This means they must:
- Ensure emergency credit is available and working on your meter at all times
- Add emergency credit remotely to a smart meter when you contact them
- Provide a top-up voucher if the meter cannot be updated remotely
- Not leave you without energy while a fault is being investigated
If your emergency credit failed and your supplier didn’t help you promptly, they have breached their licence conditions. That matters — because it means you have grounds for a formal complaint, and potentially compensation.
The three reasons emergency credit stops working
1. Your meter wasn’t commissioned after a supplier switch This is the most common cause. When you switch supplier, your meter needs to be re-registered on the new supplier’s systems. If that process wasn’t completed properly, emergency credit settings don’t transfer — and the meter can behave as though it has no supplier at all.
2. A communication fault Smart meters talk to your supplier over a wireless network. If that connection drops, your supplier can’t update your meter remotely — including activating emergency credit. This is a fault, and your supplier is responsible for fixing it.
3. A meter firmware or configuration issue Less common, but it happens. The meter itself can develop faults that affect how emergency credit functions. Again — your supplier’s responsibility to resolve.
What to say when you call
Using the right language gets you to the right team faster and creates a paper trail that matters if you need to escalate.
Say exactly this:
“My emergency credit has not activated. I am currently self-disconnected and without energy. I need this resolved today. I’d like a formal complaint reference number.”
That one sentence does three things — tells them the nature of the problem, triggers their vulnerability and self-disconnection protocols, and starts a formal complaint clock.
If they can fix it remotely, they should do so during that call. If they can’t, they must provide a top-up voucher while the fault is investigated.
If your supplier doesn’t help
If you call and your supplier refuses to help, dismisses the problem, or tells you to wait — this is serious.
Your next step is a formal written complaint. A written complaint creates a record, starts the 8-week resolution clock, and puts the supplier on notice that you know your rights.
Use the Complaint Letter Generator on this site to write a letter in under two minutes. It will include the right regulatory language and reference your specific situation.
[✉️ Generate My Complaint Letter →]
What compensation you may be entitled to
If your emergency credit failed due to a supplier error — particularly after a switch — you may be entitled to compensation under Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSoP).
Suppliers must resolve smart meter faults within set timeframes. If those deadlines are missed, automatic payments apply. Log your problem in the Smart Meter Problem Tracker to start your record and track the clock.
[🚨 Log My Problem →]
Still without energy right now?
Call your supplier’s 24-hour emergency line. Every supplier is required to have one for prepayment customers. They can add credit remotely or issue a voucher — even outside business hours.
If you are elderly, have young children, or have a medical condition, tell them this immediately. Vulnerable customers have additional protections and suppliers must prioritise them.
Written by a qualified UK smart meter installer. If your emergency credit has failed and your supplier isn’t helping, you have rights — use them.