Moving into a new home is exciting and joyful, but it comes with extensive documentation involved in the transactions. Even after receiving the key to your new house, you have certain things that need immediate attention and cannot be left for another day. This includes organizing and setting up your gas and electricity for your new house as soon as possible.
Notify your current energy supplier
If you are a first-time buyer, you will most likely be moving from a rented house or a family home. If you are moving from a family house, you will not need to do anything. But if you are moving from a rented house, then you will need to notify your current supplier about the move.
This notice should be given at least 48 hours before and ensure they will send the final bill to your new address. It is also crucial to check your current plan, whether there is an early exit fee or not. When you notify them, the energy supplier may want you to set up with them at your new house, but you can take your time to decide carefully.
On the day of your move, make sure you take the final meter readings to inform your energy supplier and also keep a record to compare against the final bill that will be sent to you. Once it arrives, you should pay it as soon as possible.
Also, check for your credit because if you are in credit, then it will need to be refunded directly to your account. In addition to this, you will also have to inform your landlord about your move and make sure they are on the right page about meter readings.
How to set up gas and electricity in a new house?
Setting up gas and electricity as a first-time buyer can be challenging. When you come to a new property, especially if you purchased a home from previous owners, then you will automatically be placed on an existing tariff with the existing energy provider of the house. Usually, the tariff is costly. But you can set your gas and electricity and get good deals by following the below-mentioned process. You need to take action as soon as possible to ensure you are not wasting money.
1) Find and contact the energy supplier who provides energy to your new house
Before you move to your new address, it’s important that you check the gas and electricity suppliers for your new house. You can get this information easily from the estate agent.
If you do not get it from them, you can call the Meter Number Helpline for the gas suppliers and the local distribution number of the locality for electricity. Usually, the provider for gas and electricity will be the same in the area. Read more here.
2) Locate the gas and electricity meters
Next, you will need to find the meter for gas and electricity. These are usually installed together in the same place and are normally found in the hallway, kitchen, or outside the house.
When you first come to look at the house, it’s important you take a note of where the meters are so that you do not have any problems later on. If you are unsure as to their location, then you can also ask the estate agent.
3) Take accurate readings of the meters
Once you have arrived at your new house, you need to take accurate meter readings and send them to your energy supplier. This is to ensure that you only pay for what you use.
4) Contact the energy supplier
Once you know who the energy supplier is and have taken your meter readings, you need to contact your energy supplier. When you call the energy provider, you need to give them the meter readings and the date on which you moved to the address. They will likely set you up on tariffs, but you should always take time to compare and make wise decisions.
5) Locate the fuse box
The next thing you must also know beforehand is the location of the fuse box and trip switch. A fuse box, also known as the circuit breaker box, is installed in every house. The fuse box plays an important role in providing the right amount of electricity to your house.
It distributes the right amount of electricity to each circuit in your house and thus protects you from electrical issues. If there is a sudden increase in electricity, it will cause a trip in the switch and cut electricity to the designated area. This trip switch is a precautionary measure to ensure that everything is fine in case of a faulty device malfunction.
When the electricity gets cut, knowing where the trip switch will make it easier for you to flip the switch back and get the electricity back and running efficiently in no time, usually, the trip switch will be in the fuse box or near it, and this fuse box is normally found near the electricity meter.
6) Note down your meter number
There are two different meter numbers for gas and electricity. The one for gas is known as Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), and it is a ten-digit long number usually found on the bill.
The meter number for electricity is known as Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN), and it is a unique 21-digit long number also found on the energy bill.
7) Find the tariff you are on
When you know who your energy supplier is at the new house, you can ask them to tell you the tariff you are on. Usually, the existing tariff is expensive, so you can always switch to better deals. So you have the opportunity to search for better deals that are according to your requirements.
Tips to save money on your bills
In addition to finding the best deals, you should also take it upon yourself to reduce the cost of your energy bills. You can save a lot of your money by switching energy and reducing your consumption.
This means that you need to use energy more efficiently to ensure that you are not wasting energy and your money.
Energy can be used efficiently by investing in proper insulation of the house, installing LED lighting and sensors, and turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use.
In conclusion
So this is how you can set up your gas and electricity as soon as possible so that your move-in is as comfortable as possible. And as already mentioned, when you move into a new house, the existing energy supplier will automatically set you up for their standard tariff.
This is usually expensive and not the best deal. This is why you need to plan ahead, search and compare quotes as a first-time buyer to ensure that you find the best deal and save money.
