Gas, Electricity and Water

When you move into a property you need to set up the bills so that you can be charged correctly for what you use. Various companies supply gas and electricity. You may find an old bill lying around, or get a letter to "The New Occupier" but it is always best to set this up quickly yourself.

You will need to contact the supplier and arrange for an account, giving them the meter readings.

Who is my gas supplier?

Talk to the Meter Point Administration Service.

You can:

Use their online Find My Supplier search tool

Call them on 0870 608 1524. (Calls to this number are charged at 7p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.)

They can also give you your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN). This tells your energy supplier where your meter is and your gas supply number.

Who is my electricity supplier?

Energy network operators can tell you who your electricity supplier is.

Use the Energy Network Association search tool to find your network operator by postcode.

Then contact the network operator for your supplier details.

They can also give you your electricity Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). This tells your energy supplier where your meter is and your electricity supply number.

Who is my water supplier?

Yorkshire Water supplies water to everyone in this area. Unless you are on a meter you don't have to get a reading for this. Contact Yorkshire Water with the names of you and your housemates and they’ll set up an account for you. It can be paid every month or every three months.

If you are outside of Yorkshire you can use the tool at Water Uk to find your supplier.

Internet, Phone and TV

You can normally use any supplier for internet and TV (and a landline phone if you want one). Just contact who you want to use.  If you can find an old router in the house, or if there is a satellite dish this may give an idea of what services have been connected in the past.

Can I Change Supplier?

If you live in University accommodation or with the owner of the property then you can’t change your suppliers.

If you live in a private rented property then yes you can as long as you haven’t signed up to an all inclusive package, in this case your landlord will have stated who your supplier has to be.

It’s easy to switch suppliers, you just need to find the best deal for you. You need to let your landlord know who the new supplier is because they need this information for future tenants and if there are any problems with the supply in the future.

All Inclusive Bills

All Inclusive bills can seem like a good idea, but it can also cause problems.

Sometimes "Inclusive Bills" actually means you are signed up to a supplier such as Glide or Huddle who provide all the utilities. This account might still be in your name.

If the landlord is supplying the services, make sure their name is on the bill and not yours. Unless there is a clear contract with your Landlord and the supplier, if the bills don't get paid the energy companies will chase you as you have used the service, and your contract with the landlord saying it's inclusive won't matter.

Also, landlords would normally be on a business account. These are not regulated by the Energy Price Cap and may cost more.  There may also be a cap on how much you can use before you need to pay the Landlord extra, and sometimes this is less than you might think is enough. You can check the Energy performance certificate to see what the property should cost for heating and lighting.