Our Schemes

Green Deal Scheme

• About the Green Deal

  The Green Deal is a UK Government initiative to help people invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency products. The scheme offers loans to cover the costs for home improvements such as new boilers, wall insulation, heating controls and hot water systems. Repayments for the loans are then made through the electricity payments at the household.

  The arrangement for the improvements, including the installation and the required loan is known as a Green Deal Plan. A Green Deal Plan can only be provided by an authorised Green Deal Provider. Utilita Energy do not act as a Green Deal Provider, however, as your electricity supplier and a Green Deal Licensee, we are able to take your payments for the Green Deal charges and pass them onto your Green Deal Provider.

• Applying for the Green Deal

  If you wish to apply for the Green Deal Scheme, you will need to do so through a Green Deal Provider. The Green Deal Finance Company will be able to advise you on the necessary steps for joining the Green Deal Scheme.

  As your electricity supplier, once your improvement under your Green Deal Plan is completed and we have been notified, we will issue you a letter confirming what your charges for your Green Deal have been set at and when they will start from.

• Making payments through Utilita

  Utilita will collect the daily charges for your Green Deal Plan through your electricity payments to us. The way we will collect the charges depends on how you pay for your electricity:

  • If you are a PAYG customer - we will deduct the daily charges off the balance on your electricity meter. This may be done automatically.
  • If you pay via a bill – we will automatically apply the daily charges to your account, which will show on your next and subsequent bills.

  With either method of payment, we will send you a Statement of Account about your Green Deal charges (every 6 months for credit customers and 7 months for prepayment customers). This Statement of Account will let you know the amount of Green Deal charges you have paid since the last Statement of Account was sent to you.

  Utilita will collect the daily charges set at the rate provided to us by your Green Deal Provider based on your Green Deal assessment. If you have any queries regarding the rate these charges are set at, you will need to discuss them separately with your Green Deal Provider.

  If you are a PAYG customer, you will need to make sure that you top up enough money to pay for your Green Deal charges as well as for your usage and any other repayments you are required to make. We will take the daily charge for your Green Deal Plan only when there is positive credit on your electricity meter.

  If you are paying by Direct Debit and your annual savings are larger than the Green Deal charges for the year, you have 30 days (from the date of becoming a Green Deal property) to ask us to reduce your Direct Debit amount.

• Moving home

  If you are moving out of property with a Green Deal Plan, the loan will remain at the property and be taken over by the next tenant or homeowner.

  If you move into a property supplied by Utilita and with a Green Deal loan related to the property, you will be responsible for the payment of the Green Deal charges through your electricity payments to us. It is recommended to check if there is a Green Deal measure installed in a property and the status of any related loan(s) before moving into the property.

• Moving supplier

  Utilita Energy is a Green Deal Licensee and a Green Deal Plan for your property should not stop your switch to us. After agreeing your switch to us we will contact you confirming that we will be collecting your Green Deal charges and how much they are set at.

  If you are currently a Utilita customer with a Green Deal Plan associated with your property, and you are thinking of switching supplier, you will need to switch to another supplier who is a Green Deal Licensee.

• Independent advice on the Green Deal Scheme

  If you have concerns about your repayments, you can contact the Energy Saving Trust for independent advice on the Green Deal. You can call 0300 123 1234, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm, or email energy-advice@est.org.uk.

  The Green Deal Finance Company can offer lots of assistance to you. If anything goes wrong, you can contact The Green Deal Ombudsman and the Financial Conduct Authority. Each of these bodies can advise you on the best course of action and provide the required support.

ECO Scheme

• Is everyone eligible for the ECO Scheme?

  No, there is a criteria that must be met. You can check your eligibility with our online tool coming soon.

• Do I have to pay for any installations?

  No, any measures installed under the ECO Scheme are paid for by Utilita.

• What might be installed if I am eligible?

  The installation is dependent on what is recommended to us by our surveyors. Our most common installations are wall insulations, loft insulations and boiler installations.

• Do I need to be a Utilita customer to receive measures?

  No, households who fit the criteria are eligible for any changes under the ECO Scheme. You do not have to be one of our customers to claim under the ECO Scheme.

Feed In Tariff

Utilita Energy is a mandatory Feed-In Tariff licensee. This means we are obliged to participate in the FiT scheme as a condition of our supply license.

• When will I receive my first payment?

  You will receive the first payment at the end of the following quarter to which you applied. For example, if you signed up for the Feed in Tariff in quarter 1 (January to March) then you will be paid at the end of the second quarter (April to June). This is the same for your consecutive payments.

• When do I need to provide my readings?

  You will need to provide your meter readings towards the end of each quarter. Once we have the readings, you will receive your payment at the beginning of the following quarter, for example if you provide your reading in March you will receive your payment in April.

• How will I receive notification that my application has been accepted and completed?

  You will receive this information in a letter. We are required to wait 14 days before processing your application. During this time, we will ensure that all the information we require from you is there.

  On the 15th day, we will process your application on the same day. A letter will be sent out that day to confirm that your application is successful and has been completed.

• Will my tariff ever change?

  Your tariff will only change according to inflation. Otherwise, you are on a fixed rate that won’t be altered. All Generation and Export Tariff rates are set by the Regulator – Ofgem and all rates can be found via their website.

• Do I need to provide anything in order to receive payments?

  The only information we require for you to receive your Feed in Tariff payments are your meter readings at the end of each quarter. Without these readings, we will be unable to send you your payment.

• If anything on my installation changes who do I need to tell?

  You will need to inform your Feed in Tariff Licensee if anything changes with your solar panel installation and specify the change.

• If I’m moving out of a property with solar panels what do I need to do?

  If you are registered under the Feed in Tariff Scheme you will need to inform your FIT Licensee of the date you will be moving out of the property, you will also need to provide your Final Reading on this date to ensure you benefit from all generation up to this date.

• If I’m moving into a property with Solar Panels what do I need to do?

  If you are moving into a property that already has solar panels installed, you should receive confirmation and documentation regarding the installation during the purchase of the property. Once you have this you will be able to contact your FIT Licensee of choice to look into this further for you.

Smart Export Guarantee

Utilita Energy is a mandatory Smart Export Guarantee licensee. This means we are obliged to participate in the SEG scheme as a condition of our supply license.

• What is the Smart Export Guarantee? (SEG)

  The smart export guarantee (SEG) is an obligation set by the government for licensed electricity suppliers to offer a tariff and make payment to small-scale low-carbon generators for electricity exported to the National Grid, providing certain criteria are met.

  Utilita, as a mandatory SEG licensee, will pay you for every kilowatt hour of unused, eligible electricity you generate and feed into the National Grid.

• Who’s the SEG for?

  The SEG is an opportunity for anyone who has installed one of the following technology types up to a capacity of 5MW, or up to 50kW for Micro-CHP:

  • Solar photovoltaic (solar PV)
  • Wind
  • Micro combined heat and power (CHP)
  • Hydro
  • Anaerobic digestion (AD)

  These installations must be located in Great Britain.

• How much will I receive?

  You will receive 3p/kWh