How Long Can Gas Company Leave You Without Heating & Hot Water

Can your gas company legally cut you off for non-payment, and how long can they leave you without gas for heating and hot water? IUt’s common question, especially among forum users like this example:

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/62587835#Comment_62587835 

I want to provide clarity to his topic which often gets muddied with incorrect information. Read on for the real facts. 

What happens if you don’t pay your gas bill?

If you don’t pay your gas bill you will be contacted by your gas supplier in writing to request that you make an immediate full payment, which may not include late payment charges. 

This letter will arrive 28 days or more after you’ve missed your payment and may include threats to disconnect your supply. 

If you know you’ll miss a payment, it’s usually better to communicate this with the energy supplier, which may then provide you with options to get back on track over time. 

Do you have to pay?

There are ways to have debt written off in the UK.

If you genuinely can’t afford your debt repayments then looking into whether you could have your payments lowered or written off might be just what you need. 

If you want to find out whether you qualify for having debt written off or payments lowered then fill out the short form below.

Can a gas company shut off gas?

An energy company can turn off your electricity or gas supply if you fail to pay your bill, but this is becoming extremely rare. There are some exceptions when a gas supply can never be turned off if you’re a vulnerable person.  

Energy suppliers are sometimes obligated to try and help you repay your arrears through a repayment plan before they can consider disconnecting your gas supply. 

Moreover, the gas supplier is more likely to apply to the court to enter your home and install a pre-payment metre than switch off your supply altogether. 

This will mean you’ll have to pay for your energy in advance. This can be somewhat beneficial in helping you stop further arrears and energy debts. 

Vulnerable people can never be disconnected

There are laws and energy supplier commitments in place to stop some people from having their gas supply turned off even if they owe money. 

Your gas supply can never be switched off between October and March if you’ve reached state pension age and live alone, live with another pensioner or live with someone under the age of 18. 

On top of this, the energy supplier must offer a repayment plan before switching off your gas if you’re a state pensioner living with someone not from the categories above, disabled or have a long-term mental (including depression) or physical disability.

The above are the rules that all energy suppliers must abide by, but some companies have made further commitments by pledging to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment.

Can you lower your repayments?

If you’re struggling to pay back your debt, then you might qualify for a debt solution.

Some solutions lower your monthly payments while others write off a portion of your debt. 

To find out whether they could work in your situation, hit the button below.

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The Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment

If your energy supplier has signed up to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment, they have also promised not to disconnect your gas supply between October and March if you live with children under 16. 

They also won’t disconnect you at any point in the year f you’re:

• Disabled
• Live with children under 6
• Have severe financial difficulty
• Have long-term health issues

Although it’s extremely rare, they can take action to have your gas disconnected instead. But it isn’t an easy process. 

Gas disconnection process

For the gas supplier to disconnect your supply, they’ll probably need to get a court warrant to enter your home and complete the disconnection. 

They’re not obligated to get this warrant if the supply line is outside of your home, but many companies still take the time to get the warrant anyway. 

A hearing will take place where a judge may allow the company to complete the disconnection. The gas supplier must give you seven days’ notice to make the disconnection.

How long can a gas company leave you without gas?

The gas company can disconnect your supply and leave you without gas until:

1. You repay the arrears in full
2. You repay some of the debt and agree on a repayment plan

As soon as either of the above happens, the gas company must reconnect you within 24 hours. 

What if you’re not reconnected within 24 hours?

You can request compensation If the gas supplier has accepted your payment plan or you have paid off the arrears but they haven’t reconnected you within one business day.

You are entitled to £30 compensation which must be paid out within 10 working days. Energy companies often add this as a credit to your account, but you can reject this for cash in your bank if desired. 

If they miss the 10-day deadline to pay your compensation, you are entitled to a further £30 delay payment. 

How long can a gas company leave you without hot water?

Unless the lack of hot water is related to an unpaid energy debt, your gas company should treat the issue as a matter of urgency and get you reconnected within 24 hours. 

Related FAQs

How long does an energy company have to issue a final bill?

Ofgem states that energy companies have six weeks to send you your final bill after leaving a property or switching energy suppliers. 

Can you have your gas supply disconnected?

Some people cannot have their gas supply disconnected in any circumstance if the gas supplier is committed to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment. 

People deemed non-vulnerable can have their gas supply disconnected for non-payment, but this is becoming extremely rare. 

How long can British Gas leave you without heating and hot water?

British Gas should make every effort to ensure you have access to heating and hot water within 24 hours unless the supply has been purposefully disconnected. 

Although, it’s now extremely rare to have your energy disconnected even when you have arrears. 

“It will only get worse” 😩

It’s cliché to say, but with debt it’s true; the longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets. 

There are straightforward and effective ways to deal with debt, but you have to know your options. 

Fill out the short form to find out about the debt solutions that could reduce your monthly payments or even write off some of your debt.

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How can I get out of energy debts?

There may be easier and more beneficial ways to deal with energy arrears and other debts. Debt Management Plans, Debt Relief Orders and IVAs are all possible options, which I cover in my How to Get Out of Debt guide. 

You might even manage to write off some or all of your energy debts.