Want to top up your gas and electricity without leaving the house AND even save some money? Here’s how

Having to nip out to the shop to top up your gas and electricity can be a pain at the best of times, but in winter, it can be even more difficult. Especially during lockdown when you’re trying to keep your contact with the outside world to a minimum.

If you have a traditional prepayment meter, you have no choice but to head out to your nearest PayPoint to manually top up a card or key.

That’s one of the reasons prepay energy users are switching to smart meters. A new generation of energy meters being rolled out across Great Britain, they let you top up your gas and electricity from the comfort of your sofa.

You don’t need a card or key – you simply either just top it up online, via telephone or text message, or by using a smartphone app, depending on your supplier.

And there’s another good reason energy customers are keen to make the switch.

Smart meters show you your energy usage data on in-home display (IHD) so you can see your energy use in near-real time, and how much it is costing. That makes it easier to control how much you spend.

Using the data to identify energy saving opportunities has meant some smart meter owners have saved between £10-£20 a month by using information from their in-home display to make changes to their energy use.

By making a few small changes, like turning appliances off standby, not overfilling the kettle every time you make a brew or reminding everyone in the family to turn off lights in empty rooms, you can save energy and therefore money, but not at the cost of convenience or comfort.

Plus, your smart meter’s IHD can alert you if you’ve reached your emergency credit, or fallen below a set threshold, so you won’t unknowingly run out.

Greater visibility of the energy you’re using, and when you use it, can also help you to make better choices when shopping around for a new energy tariff, helping you to find one that best suits your needs.

Smart Energy GB is a government-backed organisation tasked with informing Great Britain about the benefits of the smart meter rollout.

• Ask your energy supplier if you’re eligible for a smart prepay meter. For more info visit smartenergygb.org. Eligibility may vary by supplier and region.