Your electricity bill explained

Our billing periods are not designed to charge for electricity used on a pro-rata basis, therefore the entire period is charged at a single rate for electricity. This means that we are unable to apply the change as at 1^st April, it is applied to the closest full billing quarter, and not earlier. The application of price changes over the years is managed consistently whether there is a price rise or fall.

This process applies to all of our meters including Smart Meters until such time that the Smart Meter Rollout has been completed.

For Domestic & Commercial customers who are billed quarterly;

The change will be applied to invoices raised after the 1^st July where the start reading for the period falls after 1^st April.

For large Commercial and Industrial customers who are billed monthly;

The change will be applied to invoices raised after 1^st May where the start reading for the period falls on or after 1^st April.

I am struggling to pay my accounts, can you help?

Customer Protection – Electricity Disconnection.

 It is our mission to deliver life's essential services for our Island. We are dedicated to supporting our customers, especially those who are vulnerable, all year round.

Customers who are concerned about their electricity bills should get in touch with our customer care team, who are best placed to offer advice. Each enquiry is treated confidentially and the support provided is specific to each situation. Details of our support can be found here.

The VAT rating depends on what the electricity supply is being used for. Domestic users will attract the reduced rate of 5%. Commercial users will attract the standard rate of 20% unless they use less than 33 units (kW) per day, in which case the reduced rate of 5% is applied.

Electricity consumed for charitable non –business use will attract the reduced rate of 5% VAT. If a charity makes a charge for its activities then the standard rate of 20% is applied.

We use this mechanism to adjust the unit cost of electricity to take into account the costs of oil used for generation, which because of the market conditions are variable not fixed, without having to alter the basic published tariff. 

The standing charge is to recover a contribution to our fixed costs where connection to our electricity supply is retained. Connection charges also provide for the correct specification and connection of the meter. This is important as the meter provides the means to accurately record the units consumed or exported in each billing period.

A unit of electricity is one kilowatt (kW) of electricity burned for one hour. e.g. a heater rated at 1000 watts (1 kilowatt), operating for one hour uses one kilowatt-hour (equivalent to 3.6 megajoules) of energy. A 40-watt light bulb operating for 25 hours uses one kilowatt-hour. Electrical energy is sold in kilowatt-hours; cost of running equipment is the product of power in kilowatts multiplied by running time in hours and price per kilowatt-hour. For current costs please refer to Tariffs and Rates

• what do you get for a unit of electricity

The customer number is the 1st 5 digits of the account number shown on your bill, as illustrated below:

The invoice number is the last 8 digits of the account number and is prefixed with the letter U as shown on your bill, as illustrated below:

The premise number is the 2nd 6 digits of the account number shown on your bill, as illustrated below:

The meter number is located on the front of your electricity bill in the main content, as illustrated below:

We currently offer a 1% discount provided that you pay your bill in full within the timescale stated on the bill. We allow 12 working days (which includes Saturdays) from the issue date of the bill.

Arrange to pay your account by Direct Debit, which not only saves you money but time as well.

The letters after the meter readings explain what type of reading was taken.

The code explanations can also be found on the reverse of your bill.

Yes, however a charge may be incurred, depending on the number of copy bills required, please contact our Customer Services Team on (01624) 687675.

Estimated accounts are based on your consumption history (units per day) for the corresponding account period.

Usually the more actual readings we have the more accurate the estimate will be. 

When a new customer applies for an electricity supply, we ask them to pay a security deposit, there are a number of reasons for this;

• we don’t have a credit rating for you based on any previous account history
• we bill for electricity used 3 months in arrears

The amount is refundable after a period of 2 years, with interest, provided a good payment record is maintained. 

• domestic customers - Payment of £120.00 is required and the completion of a Direct Debit mandate, for fixed payments of £50.00 per month
• Comfy Heat customers - Payment of £200.00 is required and the completion of a Direct Debit mandate, for fixed payments of £100.00 per month
• commercial customers - All payments amounts must be agreed by the Credit Control Team on (01624) 687687
• new commercial installation - The payment amount will be agreed and set by the Accounts Management Team and incorporated in the connection charge and terms of acceptance issued by the planning department, Network Services. The deposit will be refunded plus interest, providing all accounts have been paid on time after 2 years or when the business stops trading.  This may be extended to 5 years if the customer has not maintained a good payment record.

Providing you have maintained a good payment record your refund will include interest based on the current Bank of England base rate.

We think it’s a good thing to know exactly what you pay for in life, and your electricity bill is no exception. Like any other company, we have our own jargon which can sound confusing; kilowatt hours, peak and off peak rates and standing charges, so below you will see a table that explains how we have calculated your bill.

We read and bill the majority of our electricity meters each quarter. For our larger users we bill on a monthly basis. You will either receive an invoice or a statement if you pay by Direct Debit.

Your meter readings are used to calculate the amount of electricity used. Electricity is measured in kilowatt hours and 1 unit of electricity equals 1 kilowatt hours (kWh)

Below is an example of a typical bill for an average domestic customer and how it is calculated.