Welcome to Watkins Energy!
This guide will tell you about your heating system and will help you set up and manage your heat account.
Who are we?
Watkins Energy are your heat metering and billing provider. This means we act on behalf of your heat supplier to remotely measure the amount of heat you use in your home for heating and hot water and then bill you for your heat charges.
We’re not responsible for:
Buying the gas and electricity required to generate heat.
Operating and maintaining the heat network to supply heat to your home, including the equipment belonging to the heat network which lives in your home.
Your heat tariff.
Any of your in-home heating or hot water equipment, including your heating programmer, radiators or hot water taps.
Remember:
If you’re struggling with your heating controls and need some help take a look in the library on our website www.watkinsenergy.co.uk, or get in touch with our friendly Customer Care Team who are always happy to help.
What is a heat network?
Your home is connected to a heat network (also known as a district heating or communal heating system) which provides heating and hot water to many homes.
A heat network generates heat in a central location, known as an energy centre, using energy sources with lower CO2 emissions. This means that by living in a home connected to a heat network you’re playing your part to reduce your impact on the environment, helping to tackle climate change.
Heat is distributed from the energy centre to homes connected to the network by highly insulated pipes, supplying heating and hot water to customers whenever it’s needed. This removes the need to install a gas supply and individual boiler to every home.
Heat networks are more energy efficient than fitting individual gas boilers and are more reliable, so require less maintenance.
What equipment do you have in your home?
Instead of a gas boiler you have a heat interface unit installed in your home - commonly known as a HIU.
The HIU is installed in your utility cupboard and looks like a boiler. It controls the transfer of heat from the heat network to your home’s central heating system, making heat and hot water available to you instantly, as and when you need it.
Attached to the HIU there’s a heat meter. This measures how much heat you use. You’ll also have a Guru in-home display which shows you how much heat you’re using, how much this is costing you and how much credit you have left on your account. You’ll find a user guide for your in-home display in your welcome pack.
Controlling your heating
Controlling your heating is easy.
To control your heating, you simply need to set the thermostat and heating programmer, as you would with a typical central heating system.
Remember:
If you experience a problem with any of your heating or hot water equipment for example - radiators, heating programmer, shower and any hot water outlets, you’ll need to report this to your heat supplier or housing provider.
Watkins Energy are only responsible for making sure your heat meter and in home display are working correctly, and billing you for the heat you use and your daily standing charge.
Want to reduce your heat use?
If you want some tips on how to reduce your heat use, please visit our website: www.watkinsenergy.co.uk/energyefficiency
Or call our friendly Customer Care Team:
0330 324 0018 (local rates apply)
Open Monday to Friday from 8am - 5pm
Your heat tariff
Like a normal gas or electricity tariff, your heat tariff is made up of two charges:
Variable Unit
The unit charge is how much you’ll pay for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of heat you use. This is measured by your heat meter which automatically sends us meter readings so we can bill you accurately.
You’ll be able to see how much heat you’ve used and how much this has cost you on your Guru in-home display.
Fixed Standing Charge
The standing charge is a fixed daily charge which generally covers;
Administration costs for providing metering and billing services,
Your share of the standing charges for the energy your heat supplier has to buy to power the heat network.
We work with your heat supplier to help calculate your unit charge and standing charge. You can find more information on the heat tariff for your development, including when the tariff was last reviewed and how it was calculated, on our website www.watkinsenergy.co.uk.
Changes to your heat tariff
You’ll always be given 31 days written notice of any changes to your heat tariff and we will only ever make changes to the tariff when instructed by your heat supplier.
How you’ll be charged
In your home you have a prepayment meter. To use your heating and hot water, you need to top up your meter and make sure you always have credit available. We call this ‘Pay As You Go’ (PAYG).
Like a mobile phone, PAYG means you’ll only pay for the heat you use, when you use it, with no bills landing on your doormat at a later date.
To help make sure you don’t run out of credit, your available balance is shown on your Guru in-home display. It also has lots of additional features which you can find out more about in the user guide provided in your welcome pack.
Your prepayment card number:
To top up your meter you’ll need your prepayment card number which you’ll find in your welcome email.
If you can’t find your prepayment card number, please call our friendly Customer Care Team.
0330 324 0018 (local rates apply)
Open Monday to Friday from 8am - 5pm
0330 324 0018 (local rates apply)
How to top up
To make things easy for you we offer a few different ways to top up. All you need to do is pick the one which best suits you.
Online
Pay anytime that’s convenient to you -24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!
Go to watkinsenergypayments.paypoint.com/Energy
you can make a one-off payment or set up an account to make it easier for future payments. You’ll need your prepayment card number and a credit or debit card. Make sure you select ‘Guru’ as the ‘Service/Account Type.’
Over the phone
You can call our automated payment line to make a payment at any time. Please call 0203 6504060 and select option 1. You’ll need your prepayment card number and debit or credit card details.
Set up a regular fixed payment
You can set up a regular fixed payment to come out of your account automaticaly on a prearranged schedule. The money will be credited to your meter the same day it’s taken from your account. If you want to set up a regular fixed payment just give us a call and we can do this for you over the phone.
In store
You can top up by visiting any PayPoint outlet. To top up at a PayPoint outlet you’ll need a prepayment card, if this is your preferred payment method then please contact us and we’ll get a prepayment card sent out to you. To find your nearest PayPoint outlet please visit: consumer.paypoint.com
Any top ups you make should show on your available balance within two minutes. If this doesn’t happen, you can manually enter the payment code from your payment receipt into your in-home display. You’ll find instructions on how to do this in the user guide we’ve provided in your welcome pack.
If you need any help or have any questions about how to top up, please get in touch with our Customer Care Team.
What happens if you run out of credit?
If you run out of credit your heat supply will be suspended. This means you won’t be able to use your heating or hot water.
To help you out if you need it, we allow a little bit of reserve credit. We call this emergency credit.
What is emergency credit?
If you run out of credit before you get a chance to top up, you’ll have access to £5 emergency credit. This is effectively a loan to stop you from being without heating or hot water for a short period of time, until you’re able to next top up. Once your emergency credit has run out your supply will be suspended until you add credit to your meter.
How is emergency credit repaid?
When you next top up, we’ll automatically deduct any money used from your emergency credit from the money you use to top up your meter. This means you’ll need to add enough credit to pay for the emergency credit that you used, plus the amount you want to have available on your meter. We can then continue your normal supply.
Remember:
If you run out of credit on your meter we’ll continue to charge the daily standing charge even if your heat supply is suspended.
Each year we’ll send you an annual statement showing:
The total amount of heat you used over the year, based on actual readings from your heat meter,
Your total charges for the year, including the standing charge and unit charge,
Total payments made by you, and
Details of any outstanding charges.
Where possible we’ll also include a comparison with how much heat you used in the previous year.
What to do if you dispute a bill or charge
If you disagree with a charge, or if you have any questions about your charges, please contact us within 14 days from the date of the charge in question and we’ll work with you to resolve the issue.
We aim to solve most billing queries within two weeks. If we think your query will take longer to deal with, we’ll explain this to you. In the meantime, you must continue to pay.
Struggling to pay?
If you’re having trouble paying, don’t be tempted to put off getting in touch with us to let us know. The sooner we know you’re struggling, the easier it’ll be to help you to get back on track.
Contact our Customer Care Team using the contact details provided on page 19 as early as you can to discuss your options.
The below tips may help you reduce your consumption and save you money, as well as helping to reduce your impact on the environment:
Provided your warm enough, turn down your thermostat by one degree.
Learn how to set your heating programmer so your heating’s only on when you need it.
Take a quick shower instead of running a hot bath.
Turn down the radiator thermostats in rooms you don’t use.
Don’t block your radiators with furniture or dry laundry on them.
You can find more information and energy efficiency tips on our website at: www.watkinsenergy.co.uk/energyefficiency
Looking for independent financial advice?
An independent service set up by the Government to help people make the most of their money.
Call Money Helper for free:
Telephone: 0800 138 7777
Typetalk: 18001 0800 915 4622
Or visit their website to use their web chat facility: www.moneyhelper.org.uk
Step Change are a debt charity providing free debt advice online to help get your finances back on track. They will provide support for as long as it’s needed. www.stepchange.org
If you’d prefer, you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Call Citizens Advice for free:
Advice line - 0800 144 8848
Debt line - 0800 240 4420
Visit their website to use their web chat facility www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Find your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau on their website www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us
Maintenance and repairs
We’re responsible for making sure your heat meter and in-home display works correctly. If there are any issues with your heat meter we’ll contact you and arrange an appointment to fix the problem. If you think there is something wrong with your heat meter or in-home display please get in touch with us straight away to let us know so we can look into it for you.
If we need to visit your home to carry out any repairs to your heat meter, our engineers will always carry photo ID. This will help protect you against fraudulent callers.
We will always try to keep any appointments we make with you. However, if we agree an appointment with you and our engineer fails to turn up, or we fail to give you 24 hours notice to cancel or change the appointment, you will be entitled to compensation - what we call a Guaranteed Service Payment.
Remember:
If you make an appointment with us and can’t keep it, you must phone our Customer Care Team to let us know by midday the day before the appointment. If you don’t let us know you may be charged a missed appointment fee.
Moving home?
You need to give us at least 10 days written notice of your moving date so we can arrange closing your account. You won’t need to provide us with a final meter reading as we can read your meter remotely. We’ll take a final reading on the day you move out and use this to calculate your final account balance. You’ll need to provide us with a forwarding address, as we may need to communicate with you about your account after you’ve moved.
To make it quick and easy for you to let us know you’re moving, we’ve made a simple moving home form which you’ll find on our websitewww.watkinsenergy.co.uk/movinghome. If you’d prefer, you can call us and speak to one of our Customer Care Team.
What happens if you have credit on your meter?
If you have any credit on your meter when your account is closed, we’ll refund this to you within 10 days of your moving date.
Recognising amazing service
It’s always nice to receive positive feedback from happy customers. If you receive amazing service and want to share your experience, please get in touch. We’ll be sure to pass on your thanks and make sure the team know what a great job they’ve have done.
Keeping your information safe
We understand that your privacy is important and will always make sure the highest levels of security are applied to keep your information safe. All data is protected and any data that is transferred is always sent over secure connections. We only ever store data that is needed to deliver your heating services. Further information can be found in our Data Protection and Privacy Policy, which is available in the library section of our website.
Watkins Energy Ltd
Faraday House, 1 Faraday Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 9BH
0330 324 0018 | help@watkinsenergy.co.uk | watkinsenergy.co.uk
Amazing service, it’s in our
Dependable Non-Judgmental Ambitious
We will:
be friendly, helpful and make it easy for you to get in touch so we can provide help when you need it.
do what we say, giving clear timescales and making sure we stick to them. If anything changes, we’ll let you know.
act fast and aim to fix any problems as quick as we can.
investigate any complaints thoroughly, admit when we’re wrong, apologise and work with you to put things right.
price our service fairly and make sure that we bill you accurately, resolving any discrepancies quickly should they arise.
We will:
treat all customers equally.
always be polite and respectful.
be understanding of the diverse needs of our customers.
provide additional support for customers in vulnerable situations.
try to place ourselves in your shoes, making sure we truly hear and understand what you’re saying, allowing you to speak freely and comfortably without feeling that you’re being judged.
treat all personal information provided confidentially and in accordance with our Data Protection and Privacy Policy and relevant legislation.
give you a point of contact who understands your needs.
We will:
measure ourselves on how well we meet our commitments and continue to look for ways to improve our services.
learn from what we do well and use this to help continue to improve the service we provide.
learn from our mistakes and make sure we don’t repeat them.
continue to look at ways to innovate and reduce our impact on the environment.
continue to support the work of the Government and trade bodies to develop regulation for heat networks to help protect consumers.
A helping hand when you need it most
At Watkins Energy
we put customers at the heart of everything we do.
We appreciate that everyone is different and recognise that from time to time some customers may need a little extra help - which may be temporary or permanent.
Extra support for customers in vulnerable situations
As a responsible heat supplier, we’re particularly concerned about customers who are vulnerable to the cold. This can include a wide range of people.
If any of the following apply to you, you can apply to be on our Priority Services Register:
Are of pensionable age (65+)
If you have any special requirements, or need any extra support, it’s helpful if you let us know.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you may qualify for our Priority Services Register, which means we can tailor your experience and the way we interact with you by offering a selection of additional support services completely free of charge.
Are disabled or chronically sick
Have a long-term medical condition
Are blind or hard of hearing
Suffer from a mental health condition
Have children under 5 years old
Are in a vulnerable situation, for example you may recently have suffered a bereavement, have a low income or lost your job, or may be recovering at home following hospital treatment.
Our Priority Services
We offer the following services free of charge to customers on our Priority Services Register:
Accessible information
We can make information available in accessible formats, for example printed copy if you don’t have internet access, large print if you’re partially sighted, or in alternative languages.
Password protection and identification scheme
Our engineers will always carry photo ID when visiting your home. We can also agree a password with you to help you identify anyone visiting your home and protect you from fraudulent callers.
Knock and wait service
If it takes you a while to get to the door, just let us know and we can make sure that our engineers are aware in advance, giving you more time to let them in.
Nominee scheme
If you’d prefer, we’re happy for you to nominate a friend, family member or carer, who can act on your behalf to manage your account.
Meter reading
For those unable to do so, and where we can’t read your meter remotely, we’ll send an engineer to read your meter quarterly to make sure you’re being billed based on actual readings.
Think you qualify for our Priority Services Register?
Rgister for our Priority Services Register by:
Calling our friendly Customer Care Team 0330 324 0018
Filling out the registration form in your welcome pack
Completing our online registration formwww.watkinsenergy.co.uk/helpinghand
Unsure if you qualify?
We want you to feel comfortable contacting us so we can discuss your individual circumstances with you. Our Customer Care Team will always be sensitive and understanding and will treat all information provided as confidential.
If your circumstances change and you no longer need priority services, just let us know and we’ll remove you from the register.
Protecting your data
Any sharing of your data will always be done in accordance with our Data Protection and Privacy Policy.
We’ll need your consent to keep and share your data with our engineers and trusted partners.
Whatever you need, we’re here to help.
Get in touch today to talk to one of our friendly Customer Care Team
0330 324 0018
Monday to Friday from 8am - 5pm, Emergencies 24/7/365
Priority Services Registration Form
Title:
First name:
Contact number:
Email address:
Address:
Town or City:
Account number:
Postcode:
Vulnerable circumstances and/or additional needs
Tick the boxes if any of the following apply to you or anyone living in your home;
Pensionable age (65+)
Chronic illness
Visually impaired Dementia
Hearing impaired
Mental health issues
Speech difficulties Low income
Learning difficulties
Physical impairment
Temporary - Living with children under 5
Temporary - Life changes
Temporary - Post hospital recovery
No internet access
Unable to answer door/restricted movement
Review date
Review date
Review date
Non-English speaking (please confirm language)
Other (please provide details)
Surname:
Password scheme;
Anyone we send to your door will always carry an ID card to confirm who they are. If you’d like extra security to protect you from fraudulant callers please choose a password and write it below in block capital letters. Whenever we send anyone to your home they’ll be able to tell you the password before you let them in.
Nominee scheme;
If you’d like to nominate a family member or carer to act on your behalf please provide their details below. We’ll need you to sign the form to give your consent for us to discuss your account with them. We’ll also need a signature from them to confirm they’re happy to act on your behalf. Once we’ve received written confirmation from both parties, we’ll use them as our main point of contact.
Name:
Address:
Town or City:
Email:
Relationship to you:
Signature and declaration
Nominated representative
Postcode:
Contact number:
Signature and declaration Account holder
Declaration; I confirm that the details I have given are true and correct. I give permission for you and other organisations acting on your behalf to securely store and use my personal details so that you can provide me with priority services. I understand that, by law, you’re allowed to use my personal details once I give my permission.
We may contact you or your nominated representative to discuss any of the information provided in this form. If you’ve provided details for a nominated representative, you’re giving your explicit consent for us to talk to them on your behalf. This may mean we share information with them about you and your heat supply until you tell us that you no longer wish them to act as your nominated representative. We confirm that we won’t use or pass your details to a third party for marketing purposes.
Watkins Energy Ltd Faraday House, 1 Faraday Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 9BH 0330 324 0018 | help@watkinsenergy.co.uk | watkinsenergy.co.uk
Not happy with the service you’ve received? How to make a complaint
We always put our customers first and pride ourselves on delivering excellent service. However, sometimes things can go wrong. If this happens, we want to make it quick and easy for you to get in touch so we can put things right and get our relationship back on track.
What you can expect from us
If you need to let us know about any issues with the service you’ve received, we’ll make sure we:
Make it easy for you to get in touch with us.
Respond quickly and try to resolve any issues the first time you contact us.
Clearly explain the action we’re taking and provide timescales for fixing the problem.
Keep you updated on our progress throughout the complaints process.
Always try to make sure that your complaint is dealt with from start to finish by the same person.
Provide an explanation of what went wrong, do everything we can to put things right and apologise if we’ve made a mistake.
Always treat you fairly.
Contacting us
You can contact us using any of the following:
0330 324 0018
Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm
help@watkinsenergy.co.uk
Using our online complaints form www.watkinsenergy.co.uk/complaints
By writing to us at; Faraday House 1 Faraday Close Eastbourne East Sussex BN22 9BH
Remember, if you contact us by phone, we’ll often be able to resolve the problem for you there and then.
Need help with making a complaint?
If you can’t make the complaint yourself, or simply want the support of others, you can nominate a family member, friend, or other representative to deal with your complaint.
You’ll need to get in touch with us to let us know the name and contact details of your nominated representative. We’ll make a note of this and make sure we communicate with them when handling your complaint.
What information will we need?
For us to investigate your complaint you’ll need to provide us with the following information:
Your name, address and contact details.
Your preferred method of contact.
Details of the problem with any supporting evidence, including the date and time if your complaint relates to a particular incident.
What steps will we take to resolve your complaint and put things right?
Once we’ve received your complaint, we’ll get back to you within 2 working days to let you know that it’s been passed on to one of our specialist Customer Care Advisors to investigate for you.
You’ll be given a unique reference number to help us identify and track the progress of your complaint.
Within 10 working days of receiving your complaint, we’ll contact you to let you know the outcome of our investigation and to offer a solution to put things right.
What to do if you’re still unhappy
We hope you’ll be satisfied with how we’ve handled your complaint. If not, contact us and tell us that you’d like your complaint to be reviewed by a senior manager.
A senior manager will carry out an internal review of how your complaint was handled and the solution you were offered. They’ll decide if the outcome was fair and reasonable in the circumstances.
We’ll get back to you within 10 working days to let you know the outcome. If we find that your complaint hasn’t been handled in the way we’d have liked, a new solution may be offered.
If you still aren’t satisfied, or if your complaint hasn’t been fully resolved within 8 weeks, you can ask for a deadlock letter. The deadlock letter will recap what’s happened, what we’ve suggested and explain that we haven’t been able to reach an agreement.
Once you have your deadlock letter you’ll be able to refer your complaint to an independent organisation, such as Citizens Advice Bureau.
Faraday House, 1 Faraday Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN22 9BH
Guru In-home Display User Guide
Your Guru in-home display is an easy to use touch screen device that will help you manage your heat account.
Your Guru in-home display user guide
This handy guide will help you understand how to use and make the most of your Guru in-home display.
Your Guru in-home display will help you manage your heat account by keeping an eye on:
■ Your available credit balance
■ How much heat you’re using
■ How much you’re paying, and
■ Your top up history
We can also use your Guru in-home display to send you useful messages, for example if we need to let you know that we’re doing planned maintenance to the heat network which may interrupt your heat supply.
Understanding the main display 1.
You can access the main display by selecting the ‘Home’ icon from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
On the main display you’ll find:
1. Home button - use this to find your way back to this screen
2. Supplier information - you’ll find our contact details here
3. Messages - see page 13
4. Display settings - see page 14
5. Time
6. Last 7 days consumption (kWh) or spend (£’s) graph
7. Current usage and CO2 consumption
8. Manual top up code entry - see page 7
9. Historic transaction list - see page 12
10. Historical usage graphs - see pages 10-11
11. Account info - see page 9
12. Your current heat tariff
13. Expected time that your remaining credit will last
14. Remaining credit - see page 6
How to check your account balance and heat tariff 2.
You can check your balance from the main display screen.
You’ll be able to see your balance on the left hand side of the screen and how long we think your balance should last you. You’ll need to keep an eye on this to make sure you don’t run out of credit. To help remind you when to top up a low credit message will pop up on your screen, the numbers will turn yellow when credit is low.
Below your balance information you’ll be able to see details of your heat tariff, including unit rate and daily standing charge.
On the right hand side of the screen you’ll see your usage over the last 7 days, you can choose to view this information in kilowatt hours (kWh) or £’s.
You will also be able to see how much C02 you are creating.
3.
How to manually add a top up when the payment hasn’t automatically been credited to your account
Whenever you top up, your payment should automatically reach your Guru Hub. If for any reason there is a delay with the remote top up, you can enter the top up manually.
Select from the bar at the bottom of the main account screen.
In the transaction screen enter the 20 digit vend code number printed on your payment receipt.
If you make a mistake when entering the number press to correct. Press when complete.
How to activate your emergency credit
When your credit runs low a message will display reminding you to top up.
If you’re unable to top up immediately you can activate emergency credit by pressing “Activate emergency credit”.
Once emergency credit is activated your display screen will display “Emergency credit in use”. It will also display how much emergency credit you have available.
Remember:
We allow a £5 emergency credit facility to stop you from being without heating or hot water for a short period of time, until you’re next able to top up. Once your emergency credit has run out your supply will be suspended until you add credit to your meter. When you next top up, we’ll automatically deduct any money used from your emergency credit from the money you use to top up your meter. This means you’ll need to add enough credit to pay for the emergency credit that you used, plus the amount you want to have available on your meter.
Account info screen
At the bottom of your Guru screen you’ll see
This will allow you to view:
1. The emergency credit available on your Hub,
2. The debt remaining on your account, and
3. Meter readings.
Emergency Credit
The emergency credit button will show you how much emergency credit you have available to you and give you the option to activate it early.
Debt Remaining
The debt remaining button will show any outstanding debt on your account. It will also tell you how much as a percentage of each top up will go towards recovering the debt.
Friendly Hours Credit
This option will show the times when we operate friendly hours credit. During friendly hours credit, your supply won’t be disconnected even if you run out of credit. This gives you extra time to top up.
Using your Guru in-home display to manage your heat usage 6.
1. Viewing current and recent usage
Tap the button at the bottom of the home screen to see how much heat you’re using, this will be shown in a variety of graphs and tables. Use the arrows to scroll through the options.
The table shows your usage over the past 24 hours, 30 days, and 12 months. This is shown in kilowatt hours (kWh).
The graph option shows your usage in kilowatt hours (kWh) or £’s over the last 7 days, 24 hours or 12 months.
When viewing usage information for the last 7 days you will also see the average cost per day, highest daily spend and total cost for the period down the right-hand side of the screen.
2. Comparing your historical usage
When scrolling through the graphs you’ll come across a line graph which will show you your usage in kWh for up to the past 3 years so you can compare historical trends.
Viewing your recent transactions 7.
You can view a list of your recent transaction by clicking on
When in the transaction screen you’ll be able to see any recent top ups you’ve made, how much of the top up has gone towards paying off any debt on your account (if you have any) and your account balance after the top up.
How to read your messages
If you have a new message a number will appear next to the ‘Envelope’ icon. Touch the icon to see the message page.
From time to time we may send you messages. If a message appears, you can clear it by pressing the button. You may also delete the message, this will remove it from the Hub altogether.
You may view the history of your messages by tapping the envelope button at the top of the screen. This will show you all the messages that you’ve received, and will allow you to look at them again.
Personalising settings on your Guru in-home display 9.
By selecting the icon at the top of your screen you’ll then be able to select the ‘Display Settings’ button which will allow you to change how long you’d like your Hub display to stay on.
In the display settings you can adjust the time the display stays on by sliding the blue button on your screen to your preferred setting.
Watkins Energy Ltd
Watkins House, Leigh Road, Haine Business Park, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 5EU
0330 324 0018 | help@watkinsenergy.co.uk | watkinsenergy.co.uk