British Gas moving home
How to help your home move run smoothly

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Disclaimer: The information on this page was last updated on 20/12/2022, 13:04:53

There are so many different things to think about when you’re moving house - it can be an extremely stressful time! Let us take away some of that stress with our easy British Gas moving home guide. As always, we’ve got you covered!

Read through this page to find out how to manage your gas and electricity supply when you move house.

How to tell British Gas you’re moving home

When you move into a new home, you’ll have to make sure that you let British Gas know so that they can close or move your account.

You can do this either through your online account or by calling 0333 202 9816.

When you contact them, you’ll have to let them know a few details, including:

• Your account number
• Your moving date
• Your current address
• Your new address
• Your final meter reading
• If there’s credit left on your prepayment meter

Moving out with British Gas

When should you contact British Gas about moving home?

If you only have a gas and/or electricity tariff with British Gas, you should get in touch between 2 and 28 days before your moving date. Bear in mind that it takes around 3 weeks to switch providers in your new home so, if you’re planning on staying with British Gas, try and sort this early for a smooth transition.

However, if you have a Homecare plan with British Gas, you’ll have to wait until on or after your moving date to cancel and close your account.

How to move out if you have a prepayment meter

Moving out with a prepayment meter is very similar to moving out with a standard meter.

You can still use the British Gas Moving Home online service or call 0333 202 9816 to contact British Gas and tell them:

• When you’re moving
• Your meter reading
• Your new address
• The name of the new occupier or landlord (if you know)
• If you owe or are owed money
• If there’s any credit left on your meter
• If you want your new home to be supplied by British Gas

How to take and submit closing meter readings

With a prepayment meter, you’re unlikely to have read your meter before. However, you’ll have to when you move to send British Gas your closing meter reading. This makes sure that you don’t owe any money and aren’t paying for the new occupier’s energy usage.

How to read your gas prepayment meter

If you have a standard prepayment meter for your gas, there should be a display window with a row of numbers. That will be your meter reading.

If you have a digital gas meter, you should follow the steps below to find your meter reading:

1. Press the red ‘A’ button
2. Once the screen has loaded, press the ‘A’ button twice
3. Your meter reading should be on the screen under ‘Meter Index’

How to read your electricity prepayment meter

You may need to go through multiple screens to find your meter reading. Each screen will have a letter on the left-hand side of the display. To find your reading, follow these steps:

1. Press the blue button to get the screen information up
2. Press the blue button again to switch from screen to screen
3. If you have a single rate meter, your reading will be on the screen labelled ‘H’
4. If you have a two-rate meter, your readings will be on screens ‘H’ and ‘J’

Find out more about reading your meter

Once you’ve taken your meter reading, you should share it with British Gas through your online account or the Moving Home online service.

What happens to any credit left on your meter?

British Gas will refund you all the credit that is left on your meter when you leave. All you have to do is let them know how much is left through your online account. This refund can either be paid back into your British Gas account or sent as a cheque.

The cheque will be addressed to the name of the person on the account and will expire in 6 months of the issue date. If there’s an issue with any of this, you should contact British Gas by calling 0333 202 9816.

What to do with your top up key/card when you move out

Electricity keys and gas cards are connected to a certain meter. Because of this, you can’t bring them with you when you move, even if you’re on the same tariff.

Instead, you should leave them at your old property. If you rent your home, you can leave them with your landlord or letting agency. If you own your home and are selling, it’s a good idea to leave them by the meter where the new owner can find them.

Can you bring your British Gas tariff with you when you move?

When you move home, you can normally bring all of your British Gas products with you, whether that’s gas, electricity or Homecare. All you have to do is to let British Gas know that you want them to stay as your supplier when you tell them you’re moving.

Bear in mind that your bills may increase or decrease in your new home, even if you’re on the same tariff. This is because energy prices vary depending on where you live and you might also be using a different amount of energy in your new home if it’s a different size.

How to find out who supplies your gas and electricity in your new home

When you move in, you should receive a welcome pack from your new provider. If you don’t receive this, there are a few ways you can find out who currently supplies the gas and electricity in your new home:

• Ask your landlord (if you rent)
• Ask the previous occupiers
• Call your Distribution Network Operator
• Call the Meter Point Administration Service on 0870 608 1524

What to do when you move in

There are a number of different things to do when you move into a new home. This includes an array of different tasks to get your gas and electricity set up in your new home.

You'll need to:

• Contact your new provider
• Submit an opening meter reading
• Top up your prepayment meter
• Choose a new tariff

How to submit your first British Gas meter reading

The first thing you should do with your energy supply when you move in is to take a meter reading. This makes sure that you’re only paying for energy you’ve used and aren’t paying for the previous occupier’s usage. You can send this to British Gas by calling 0333 202 9816 or by following the link below.

Submit your opening meter readings

If you have a smart meter, British Gas should connect automatically and you shouldn’t need to submit one manually. However, you should still take a reading to be safe.

How to read your smart gas meter

1. Press the red button to wake the screen
2. Once it says ‘Credit On’, press the red button again
3. The screen will say ‘Meter Index. That’s your gas meter reading

How to read your smart electricity meter with two barcodes

1. Press the green ‘A’ button to wake the screen
2. Keep pressing it until the display says ‘Rate 01 Act Imp’. This is your electricity meter reading

How to read your smart electricity meter with three barcodes

1. Press the green ‘A’ button twice
2. Hold down the ‘A’ button to get to the menu
3. Keep pressing ‘A’ to scroll through the potions until the display says ‘Rate 01 Act Imp’. This is your electricity meter reading

What to do if your new home has a prepayment meter

If your new home has a prepayment meter, you should contact British Gas on their dedicated prepayment line: 0330 100 0303. Try and do this at least 3 days before you move in, if you know that your new property has a prepayment meter.

When you call, you’ll need to tell British Gas:

• Your moving date
• Your new address
• Your current/old address
• The Meter Serial Number on your new meter (usually beginning with an S or F on an electricity meter or with an L or M on a gas meter), if you know it
• The new occupiers or landlord of your current/old address

How does a prepayment meter work?

If you’ve never had a prepayment meter before, you might be wondering how it all works.

It’s often compared to a ‘pay as you go’ phone. You put money on a top-up key for your electricity and a card for your gas, which works as credit. However much money you put on your meter determines how much energy you can use - when you run out of credit, you could lose supply.

Prepayment meters are a great choice for those who want to keep an eye on their spending. You know exactly how much you’re paying for your energy and it helps make budgeting easier.

How to get a top-up key/card

If the previous occupiers didn’t leave a top-up key or card for you to use, you can contact British Gas on 0333 202 9816.

If you need an electricity key, you’ll have to tell them your Meter Serial Number (MSN), which is the number on the front of your meter and will begin with either S or F. Once you’ve done this, British Gas will give you a reference code which you can take to your local Payzone for a new electricity key.

If you need a gas card, simply go to your local Payzone and ask for a British Gas card. You’ll have to activate your card before you can top it up, which means putting your card in the meter for 1 minute. Then, you can go back to the shop and top up as normal.

How to top up your pay as you go meter

There are two places you can top up your meter:

• At a Payzone outlet
• At the Post Office

Simply take your electricity key or gas card to the shop, tell them how much credit you’d like to put on, and hand your key/card over to the cashier. You can top up any amount between £1 and £49 at a time, however, it must be in whole pounds.

Once you’ve put the credit on your key/card, you should put it into your meter to transfer the credit.

If you have a smart prepayment meter with British Gas, you can top up wherever you are. You can do this by:

• Using the British Gas app
• Calling 0330 100 0303
• Using your online account
• Guest top-up

How to change to a standard meter

If you don’t want a prepayment meter in your new home, you can easily switch to a standard meter where you’re billed monthly or quarterly instead of having to top up.

You can do this either through the British Gas live chat service or by calling 0330 100 0303.

You should give it at least two days between moving in and requesting a meter change. They should be able to make the change remotely, however, depending on your meter type and location, an engineer might need to come out and install a new one. This could take between a few days and a few weeks to complete.

Before you change your meter, British Gas will need to run a credit check. This is because many people use prepayment meters to pay back debts or if they have difficulty paying.

Which tariff will you be on?

When the old occupiers moved out, either they or the landlord will have to let British Gas know when you’ll be responsible for paying the bills. Because of this, British Gas will set up a new tariff for you.

Your new tariff is called a ‘deemed tariff’. This is normally their Standard Variable Tariff (SVT), which is the most expensive they have to offer. To change tariffs and save money, you can use the link below to get a quote for new customers or give Utility Switchboard a call on 020 3992 7717.

Get a quote

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