Help with
paying your bills

We know that sometimes it can be difficult to find the money to pay for bills. Please get in touch if you’re struggling to pay and we promise we’ll do all we can to help.

If you’re worried about your finances, you can chat online to our dedicated financial support team by clicking the button below.

Chat with our financial support team

Breathing space

If you need some time to get back on your feet, we might be able to pause your payments for a short while. You may be eligible if you’ve had a change in personal circumstances with an unexpected impact on your income, such as illness, redundancy, or bereavement.

If you’d like to benefit from Breathing Space, contact an independent financial advice company. We’ve listed some of them below.

Payment plans

A payment plan can help spread the cost of your heating and hot water over flexible payment periods to make it more manageable.

We’ll work with you to understand what you can afford and find the best payment plan. Together, we’ll agree on a fixed monthly amount to be paid over a set period.

Part of the money will go towards repaying your debt, and part will cover your current heating and hot water usage. This way, you can gradually pay off what you owe.

Switching to Pay As You Go

If it’s available in your home, you can pay in advance for your heat which can be a useful budgeting tool. Visit here for more information on Pay As You Go.

Learn more

Benefits Calculator

Are you receiving all the benefits you’re entitled to?

Turn2us are a National charity who help people when times are tough. Use their Benefits Calculator to find out which welfare benefits you may be entitled to to maximise your income.

Benefits Calculator

Free and independent Advice

These organisations offer confidential support and free advice to help you manage your finances

Step Change

Citizens Advice

Money and Pensions Service

National Debt Line

Scope

Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE)

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

Regulator of Social Housing (England)

If you have an outstanding balance

Daily standing charges will be added to your account even if you’re not using heating or hot water. While we’ll do all we can to help, you do still need to pay for the service you use.

If you have an outstanding balance, we’ll send reminders. If you don’t respond, we may take further action to recover the money you owe, which could include:

Asking a debt collection agency to recover the money
Asking the County Court to issue a claim against you
Switching you to Pay As You Go or disconnect your service

Did you know about our Priority Services Register?

We know some customers need extra help due to disabilities, vulnerabilities or changing/challenging circumstances. There are ways we can help.

Learn more

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Heating and hot
water usage

Back to Help and Advice

How much heating and hot water you use in your home depends on a number of factors. This includes your property type and size, the number of people living there, your lifestyle choices, your preferred temperature and several other variables.

Your bill will show you your daily heat and hot water usage in kWh. You can use the below guide to compare your usage with the UK average household.

If you’re using more than the average and you’d like to reduce your usage, please see our helpful tips.

Heating saving tips

1 bedroom flat (50m²)

Average yearly usage: 2,250kWh

Average daily usage: 6.16kWh

2 bedroom house (70m²)

Average yearly usage: 3,996kWh

Average daily usage: 10.95kWh

3 bedroom house (90m²)

Average yearly usage: 5,137kWh

Average daily usage: 14.07kWh

4 bedroom house (120m²)

Average yearly usage: 6,850kWh

Average daily usage: 18.77kWh

5 bedroom house (140m²)

Average yearly usage: 7,991kWh

Average daily usage: 21.89kWh

6 bedroom house (160m²)

Average yearly usage: 9,133kWh

Average daily usage: 25.02kWh

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Ways to pay

Back to Help and Advice

We offer flexible ways to pay, that work for you.

Direct Debit

Paying by Direct Debit saves you time and hassle, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to pay bills or making payments on time.

Paying by Direct Debit is the best way

With Direct Debit, you always know when and how much will be taken from your account, helping you manage your finances better.
Direct Debit ensures your bill is paid on time, every time, giving you peace of mind.
When on a fixed Direct Debit, we review your payments every six months and adjust it based on your actual use, informing you in advance of any changes we’ll make to your payments.
We’ll spread your year’s usage into 12 even payments if you’re on a fixed Direct Debit.

We offer two types of Direct Debit:

Pay by monthly fixed Direct Debit

You’ll get a bill from us every quarter so you can see the status of your account.

We’ll estimate your annual usage and set fixed monthly payments spread evenly across the year, paying the same amount every month.

Your payments are added to your account balance and cover what you use throughout the year. Any extra funds that build up during the summer months will help balance out higher usage in the winter. Our goal is for your account balance to be close to zero by the end of the year, so there are no surprises.

Pay by monthly variable Direct Debit

You’ll get a bill from us every month so you can see the status of your account.

With our smart automatic meter readings, you’ll be paying a varied amount each month based on your actual usage.

This usually means higher bills during winter when you’re using more heat and lower ones in summer. You’ll need to budget to cover the varying amounts.

Setting up your Direct Debit is easy

Sign-up to Direct Debit in your online account

Fill in the Direct Debit form and send it back to us

Direct Debit form

You can contact us and we’ll do the rest for you

Get in touch

Pay when you get your monthly bill

Pay As You Go (If applicable at your home)

Need help with paying your bills?

We understand that sometimes it can be difficult to find the money to pay for heating your home.

We promise:

We’ll do all we can to help
We’ll work with you to agree a plan
We’ll give you details of places you can get independent advice and support

Help with paying your bills

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Save heating,
save money

Back to Help and Advice

You could reduce the amount of heating you use and save money on your bills by making some small changes around your home.

Keeping your doors closed and using a draught excluder will make sure the heat stays in.

Taking shorter showers instead of baths can reduce the amount of hot water you use.

You can save a lot of hot water by washing dishes in a bowl rather than using a running hot tap.

Lowering your thermostat by one degree can reduce your heating usage. The World Health Organisation recommend a minimum room temperature of 18°C for most healthy adults.

Underfloor heating can be slow to respond as it heats the whole floor like a big radiator. You could consider keeping it on all the time at a minimum temperature, like 20°C.

Closing curtains and blinds at night helps keep your home warm. Consider using thicker curtains or adding lining for extra insulation.

To save hot water and electricity, only run your washing machine and dishwasher when they are full.

When replacing your shower head, choose a water-efficient model to reduce hot water usage.

When the sun is shining, open your curtains and blinds to let light and heat in – this will start to warm your rooms naturally.

If you’re struggling to pay your heat and hot water bills, we may be able to help.

Find out more

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Pay As You Go
(PAYG)

Back to Help and Advice

Pay As You Go (PAYG) is a simple and efficient way to manage what you’re spending. You add credit to your account before you use the heating and hot water and you can top up at any time over the phone or online.

Is PAYG right for you?

The easiest way to pay is by Direct Debit, which automatically handles your payments each month.

For more control, PAYG lets you manage your heating and hot water spending by paying in advance, avoiding unexpected bills.

PAYG might not be suitable if you need constant heat or have trouble topping up.

Customers who have payment difficulties sometimes use a PAYG meter as a way to better manage their finances. If you’re experiencing any difficulties with paying your bills or topping up, then let us know as soon as possible and we’ll see what we can do to help.

How does it work?

You add credit to your meter to pay for your heat and hot water. As you use them, the credit decreases. If the credit runs out, your supply will be disconnected until you add more.

A daily standing charge is also deducted from your credit (Direct Debit customers also pay the daily standing charge). Keep your meter in credit to avoid interruptions and prevent debt from building up.

Important Information

Heat unit rate

The rate for heat is the same for both PAYG and Direct Debit customers. PAYG does not cost more.

Standing charge

This daily charge is applied to your meter regardless of whether you use heat and hot water or not, therefore an outstanding balance can build up that will need to be paid. This charge helps cover the costs of buying, maintaining, and managing the heat network, community heat hub and equipment. This cost is the same for both PAYG and Direct Debit customers.

How to top up

You can top up at any time over the phone or online. If you live on our King’s Cross network, you can also use a payzone card.

Phone (automated): We have an automated top up service available 24/7 on 02920 100346
Website: You can top up in your online account – using your credit or debit card

It can take up to three hours for the updated balance to appear on your account once you’ve topped up. You can see your account balance by checking the Heat Interface Unit in your home, logging into your online account or giving us a call. We’ll also send you an annual statement.

Low
credit

When your balance falls below a certain value, you will be reminded to top up; your meter will either make a beeping sound or the light will change to red when you run out.

Emergency credit

If you run out of credit and can’t top up, you can use “emergency credit” to keep your heat and hot water for a short time. If you use all the emergency credit, the supply will disconnect.

This borrowed credit must be repaid when you next top up. Your account must have credit to reconnect your supply.

For more information, please get in touch.

Friendly
credit

(where applicable)

There are certain times of the day where we won’t disconnect you if you run out of credit and you will instead go into ‘friendly credit’.

Your meter will still record what you’re using, and you’ll need to pay for that when you next top up.

If you don’t top up before the end of the friendly credit period, your heating and hot water supply will stop.

For more information, please get in touch.

Moving home

If you move into a new home and there is no heating and hot water available, it may be because the meter has been set to PAYG. Just give us a call or register online and the heating and hot water supply should become available once you top up or set up a Direct Debit.

If you’re moving out, please let us know your move date so that we don’t ask you to pay for the daily standing charge after you’ve moved out.

Moving in / moving out

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Submitting a
meter reading

Back to Help and Advice

If your bill is based on an estimated meter reading, if you provide us with an accurate reading, we can update your bill right away and you’ll see your new balance.

Billing on demand

Sending us a meter reading is the best way to keep your account up to date and ensure you’re paying the correct amount for your heat and hot water usage.

If you’ve used more than you’ve been paying for, you may have to make catch-up payments.

How to submit a meter reading

It’s easy to send us a meter reading, and it will help us make sure you’re only paying for what you use.

The heat meter, usually inside the HIU, records your heat and hot water usage and sends remote readings to us. You can also check it yourself on the HIU’s front screen by looking for the number of kWh.

Use the ‘Submit Meter Reading’ button in your online account. If you don’t have one you can contact us and we’ll be happy to submit it for you.

Submit meter reading

If you need some help reading your meter

If you’re having trouble reading your heat meter, don’t worry, you can request our engineers to read the meter for you.

Get in touch

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Priority Services
Register

Back to Help and Advice

We understand that we have customers who may need some extra support, so we’ve developed a range of free services to help make it easier for them.

What is the Priority Services Register?

This is a free service that gives extra help to customers who might need it.

We offer a range of services and support, from sending out bills in an alternative format, speaking with someone else about your account on your behalf and helping you find a way to pay for your bills.

We’ll find the right support for you, no matter your age, health or life circumstances.

We’re always improving our services to better support customers who need extra help, both now and in the future. Our Vulnerability Customer Strategy details what we’re doing to help and support anyone in a vulnerable scenario.

Who we can help?

Joining our Priority Services Register is easy; you can contact us or login to your account to update your preferences.

Get in touch

You’re deaf, hard of hearing or have a sight difficulty

English isn’t your first language

You have a low income or are struggling financially

You’re pregnant or have a child under five years old

You have restricted mobility, or a disability, or you need to use vital medical equipment

You have learning difficulties

You’re experiencing mental heath issues

You’ve gone through a recent bereavement, break-up or job loss

You’re over 65 years old

You have difficulty speaking

If you want extra reassurance when we visit your property

If you need help managing your account

Services we offer

We’ll arrange for someone of your choice to help you manage your account
We can provide a bill reading service (we’ll send you an audio file of your bill in the post)
We can provide bills in large print or braille
We’ll work with you to find a flexible payment plan when possible
If English isn’t your first language, we can provide translated bills or documents
You can change our website to meet your needs with our Recite Me toolbar
We’ll let you know as far in advance as possible if there’s going to be a supply interruption in your area
We’ll offer you priority fault repair and provide an alternative supply of heating if the supply is interrupted for more than 12 hours
We’ll read your meter within five working days, if you’re finding it tricky and would like our help
We’ll never suspend your heating and hot water if you are listed on our Priority Services Register

How to sign up to our Priority Services Register

If you think you need extra help and you’d like to be added to our Priority Services Register, please contact us, or log in to your online account.

If you want help managing your account

If you’d like a trusted person to help you with your account, you can nominate them to  deal with us on your behalf. This can include checking and paying your bills, booking appointments, or making a complaint. Just give us a call or use the third-party nomination form, and we’ll arrange it.

Nomination form

If you want extra reassurance when we visit your property

Unfortunately, sometimes criminals who may pretend to work for utility companies try to gain entry to people’s homes. We refer to them as ‘Bogus Callers’.

For added protection and peace of mind, we operate a doorstep password scheme which is free and open to all our customers. Once you have set up a password, any employee from Metropolitan will need to quote this before entering your home.

Set up doorstep password

If you want help with your heating and hot water bills

We understand that managing bills can be tricky. If you’re worried about paying your bills or need extra support, we’re here to help you. There are a number of ways we can help, including setting up a payment plan, or giving you some breathing space.

Help with paying your bills

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Your bill
explained

Back to Help and Advice

Your bill gives lots of information on your usage, payments you’ve made, as well as payments that are due, and more.  You can even see at a glance how your usage varies over the seasons.

Hover each point (●) for an explanation.

This is your account number. You will be asked for this number when you contact us.

Your account balance is the total amount of money owed, either to Metropolitan or to you. The word “debit” or “credit” will appear to the left of the sum to show this. Credit means we owe you. Debit means you owe us.

The summary of account displays how your account balance was calculated. This includes your previous balance, the payments you’ve made since, and the new charges from this bill.

This confirms the date your payment is due and how we will collect payment.

This box shows the past 6 payments you have made to Metropolitan.

If you pay by Direct Debit, this will show a forecast of your future payments over the next 6 months.

This shows the billing period for this bill, the meter readings we have for you, and the number of days the bill relates to. This will be used to work out how much you owe to Metropolitan.

This shows the volumetric charges for the services you take from us. Volumetric charges relate to the amount of heat and hot water you have used in kWh per day.

This shows the standing charges for the services you take from us. Standing charges is a fixed daily amount that contributes to the upkeep and management of the heat hub and network.

This gives average usage figures for different sized homes. You can use this to see if you are using more or less than the average UK household.

This chart shows how much heating and hot water you have used over the last 12 months, broken down by month.

This bar graph tracks your average usage per day in kWh, over the last six-month billing periods.

Is there something else
we can help with?

Get in touch

Help with paying your bills

We know that sometimes it can be difficult to find the money to pay for bills. Please get in touch if you’re struggling to pay and we promise we’ll do all we can to help.

Breathing space

Payment plans

Switching to Pay As You Go

Benefits Calculator

Free and independent Advice

Step Change

Citizens Advice

Money and Pensions Service

National Debt Line

Scope

Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE)

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

Regulator of Social Housing (England)

If you have an outstanding balance

Did you know about our Priority Services Register?

Is there something else we can help with?

Heating and hot water usage

How much heating and hot water you use in your home depends on a number of factors. This includes your property type and size, the number of people living there, your lifestyle choices, your preferred temperature and several other variables.

Is there something else we can help with?

Ways to pay

We offer flexible ways to pay, that work for you.

Direct Debit

Paying by Direct Debit is the best way

We offer two types of Direct Debit:

Pay by monthly fixed Direct Debit

Pay by monthly variable Direct Debit

Setting up your Direct Debit is easy

Pay when you get your monthly bill

Pay As You Go (If applicable at your home)

We’ll send you an annual statement each year so you can see how much heat and hot water you have used over the last 12 months.

Need help with paying your bills?

Is there something else we can help with?

Save heating, save money

You could reduce the amount of heating you use and save money on your bills by making some small changes around your home.

If you’re struggling to pay your heat and hot water bills, we may be able to help.

Is there something else we can help with?

Pay As You Go (PAYG)

Pay As You Go (PAYG) is a simple and efficient way to manage what you’re spending. You add credit to your account before you use the heating and hot water and you can top up at any time over the phone or online.

Is PAYG right for you?

How does it work?

Important Information

How to top up

Low credit

Emergency credit

Friendly credit

Moving home

Is there something else we can help with?

Submitting a meter reading

If your bill is based on an estimated meter reading, if you provide us with an accurate reading, we can update your bill right away and you’ll see your new balance.

How to submit a meter reading

If you need some help reading your meter

Is there something else we can help with?

Priority Services Register

We understand that we have customers who may need some extra support, so we’ve developed a range of free services to help make it easier for them.

What is the Priority Services Register?

Who we can help?

Services we offer

How to sign up to our Priority Services Register

If you want help managing your account

If you want extra reassurance when we visit your property

If you want help with your heating and hot water bills

Is there something else we can help with?

Your bill explained

Your bill gives lots of information on your usage, payments you’ve made, as well as payments that are due, and more. You can even see at a glance how your usage varies over the seasons.

Hover each point (●) for an explanation.

Is there something else we can help with?

Help with
paying your bills

Is there something else
we can help with?

Heating and hot
water usage

Is there something else
we can help with?

Is there something else
we can help with?

Save heating,
save money

Is there something else
we can help with?

Pay As You Go
(PAYG)

Low
credit

Friendly
credit

Is there something else
we can help with?

Submitting a
meter reading

Is there something else
we can help with?

Priority Services
Register

If you want help managing your account

Is there something else
we can help with?

Your bill
explained

Your bill gives lots of information on your usage, payments you’ve made, as well as payments that are due, and more.  You can even see at a glance how your usage varies over the seasons.

Is there something else
we can help with?