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How can we help?

Credit billed customers (monthly billing)

Understanding your bills

Your energy supplier or building landlord has appointed Insite Energy to send you monthly bills for your heating and hot water (or other utility).

Each month, we collect your meter reads remotely via an automatic meter reading system (AMR). We use these actual meter readings to accurately calculate what you have consumed. You will then be billed for this consumption along with a daily standing charge.

If we cannot read your meter, you may receive a bill based on estimate readings. You can submit manual meter reads if needed through our online form.

We issue out bills on a monthly basis, either electronically or via post. You will receive your first bill a few weeks after moving in. Typically, bills are sent within the first two weeks of each month. Please note that if you submit a meter reading mid-month after receiving an estimated bill, we may issue you with a new bill reflecting charges up to the date of the new meter reading submission.

If you’ve been in your home for two months or more and still haven’t received a bill from us, please contact your scheme specific contact number to make sure we have the right information about your home.

Your bill explained

Your bill contains information about what you have consumed, what the charges are and how you can make payments. The images below show where key information is displayed on your bill. Explanations of each of these terms is further down the page.

Download our interactive PDF


  1. Customer Helpline - The contact number specifically for your scheme.
  2. Customer Account Number - Your account number. 
  3. Bill Date - Date the bill was issued
  4. Previous balance - This shows your balance brought forward from the previous month. 
  5. Payments received with thanks - This shows the payments that we received from you by the date your new bill was issued. If you made a payment after this bill was produced, it will not show as a payment received. It will however be shown on the next bill.
  6. Outstanding balance - This shows you what is still owed from previous bills that you have not yet paid. As this amount still needs to be paid, it is added to the total owed – shown as ‘Current Balance’ at the bottom of the bill.
  7. New charges - This section shows the charges for the month being billed. It is a summary of the charges shown on the back page of the bill.
  8. Current balance - This is the total amount to be paid. It includes any balance brought forward plus the total of your new charges for the month being billed.
  9. If you have chosen to set-up Direct Debit - The date on this section indicates when your Direct Debit will be collected if set-up.
  10. Questions about your bill? - Our contact details

  1. Bill Period - This is the period of time your bill covers. 
  2. If billed multiple utilities, each utility will have a separate section on your bill
  3. Your utility charges - This section shows you what you have consumed per utility and the resultant costs in line with your tariffs. It shows you the period that is being billed (usually for a calendar month) and your meter serial number. Your meter read will usually be annotated with an ‘A’ to illustrate that it is an actual remote reading taken from your meter and is therefore an accurate record of what you have consumed. If we have had to estimate your bill, this will be denoted by an ‘E’.
  4. Energy charge - This is the cost of the energy you have consumed based on the unit charge set by your energy provider. This unit charge includes any associated loss of energy between the supply point and your home.  Total energy charge = units used (kWh) x charge per unit (£)
  5. Standing charge - This is the daily standing charge passed on by your energy provider for the provision of energy to the central plant room that supplies energy to your home. It also includes any associated costs attributing to the provision of heat to your home and administration charges related to service. Total standing charge = days in the billing period x daily standing charge
  6. Total charges - This is the total owed by you for the billed period including VAT. This amount is shown on the front page as ‘New Charges’.
  7. Your barcode for Payzone or Post Office payments

Why has my bill been estimated?

If we have been unable to obtain a recent meter read, you may receive an estimated bill. This will be indicated by an ‘E’ marked in the ‘Heat Charges’ section of your bill (see our ‘Understanding your bill breakdown for more information). Where possible we will try to use your previous consumption to generate an appropriate estimate meter read. However, it may be that you have been charged more or less than expected. Once we can get an actual metering reading from your energy meter, we will work out what you actually owe on your next bill, factoring in any payments you may already have made towards your estimated charges.

If your meter cannot be read for a prolonged amount of time, or you wish for your estimated bill to be updated with an actual meter read, you can submit a meter read through our online form.

How do you estimate bills?

Our estimates are calculated like this:

  • If we have received actual readings for the previous three months, we will use the average consumption for your home to estimate your new bill.
  • If we don’t have the last three actual reads from your property, we will use the last three months’ average consumption from the other homes in your building to make an estimate.
  • If there has been an issue across all the homes in your building within the past three months, we will use average data from across the country this season to make an estimate about your likely usage.

Your smart meter reading will normally be marked with an ‘A’, to show that it is an actual reading taken automatically from your energy meter – and is therefore an accurate record of what you have used. If we have had to use an estimate meter read, it will be marked with an ‘E’.

How do I submit a manual meter reading if required?

If we are unable to obtain an actual reading from your meter and you have received an estimate bill as a result, we may ask you to provide us with a manual meter reading.

To do this you can submit your reading along with a photograph of your heat meter showing the latest read via our ‘Submit a meter read’ form.

Your heat meter can be found either inside or near your Heat Interface Unit (HIU), which is normally located within the utility cupboard. Some examples of what your heat meter may look like can be found below.


If you have a combined heating & hot water and cooling meter, you will be able to see your usage for both on the same meter.

Your meter may also display your energy consumption in megawatt-hour (MWh). If this is the case, please times your meter read by 1000 to convert it into kilowatt-hour (kWh) when submit your manual meter reading. This is because the bills we issue are based on kWh. For example, if your meter reads 0.123MWh, you would submit 123 under the 3 digits part of the form because 0.123MWh x 1000 = 123kWh.

Sometimes your energy meter may be located in a communal area, outside your property. If you need any help locating your energy meter, please contact your internal maintenance team. Please note, Insite Energy is not responsible for the installation or operation of your heat meter.

How can I pay my bill?

We offer several ways for you to pay your energy bill, 24/7/365. You can pay:

  • Direct Debit – variable, fixed or payment plan
  • Online via my insite
  • Direct bank payments incl. faster payments and standing orders
  • Cash or bank card in any Post Office or Payzone
  • Over the phone with an agent (available for vulnerable customers only)

For more information on each of these payment methods go to our 'Make a payment' page.

As soon as you move into your home, we can help you choose the payment method that works best for you. You can change the way you pay your bill at any time.

Please note that we do not accept cheques or provide cheque refunds.


Important

It is important that you pay your bills promptly each month.

Your heat provider landlord has instructed us to issue debt management letters if you do not pay on time. If you don’t make full payments to us each month, you may be breaching the lease agreement you have with your landlord heat provider. This may lead to enforcement action being taken against you by your landlord heat provider.

If you are having any difficulty paying your bills, you should contact us as soon as possible. You may be eligible to pay off what you owe in manageable instalments through a Direct Debit payment plan. This can be set up by contacting your scheme's dedicated phone number, which can be found by searching for your development or postcode on the 'My development' page.

Why isn’t my payment showing on my bill?

If you’ve made a payment and it isn’t showing on your latest bill from us, it might be because the payment didn’t reach us or wasn’t processed before we issued your bill. However, it should appear on your next bill. If you made a payment within 5 days of your bill being issued it will not show on your bill. It will, however, show on your next bill. If you have any concerns, please get in touch.

My bill is too high, what can I do?

If your bill has an ‘A’ marked within the ‘Heat Charges’ section, it shows that an actual reading has been taken from your energy meter and sent to Insite Energy remotely. If your bill is based on actual readings from energy heat meter, they have given us a true report on your kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption of energy – so we will not be able to change it.

If your bill has been based on estimated usage, you will see an ‘E’ marked in the ‘Heat Charges’ section of your bill. If you would like to provide us with an actual meter read, please complete our submit a meter reading form.

For information on how you can reduce your energy consumption, have a look at our energy saving tips.

You may also be eligible for benefits, grants and help offered by the Government. A full list of available support with energy bills can be found on Gov.uk.

I can't afford to pay my bill in full - can I pay it in instalments?

If you are having any difficulty paying your bill, you can set up a Direct Debit payment plan to pay off what you owe in manageable instalments. You can do this by giving us a ring on your scheme-specific contact number.

How often will I receive a bill?

Your energy supplier will have instructed us to send you monthly bills, either electronically or via post. You will receive your first bill a few weeks after moving in. Typically, bills are sent within the first two weeks of each month.

Please note that if you submit a meter reading mid-month after receiving an estimated bill, we may issue you with a new bill reflecting charges up to the date of the new meter reading submission.

If you’ve been in your home for two months or more and still haven’t received a bill from us, please contact your scheme-specific contact number to make sure we have the right information about your home.

Insite Energy is registered by the FCA for anti-money laundering.