Covid-19 Customer FAQs
We aim to maintain a normal level of support for our customers, although with staff working from home, we may take longer to respond than usual. However, we have plans to reduce the impact. Please see our answers to frequently asked questions below.
Contacting us
Our customer service team is continuing to work from home, so the best way to get in touch is via email: contactteam@drax.com. Although there may be a slight delay in getting back to you, we’ll try our best to respond as soon as we can.
Payment questions
Is there an impact on bill payments?
If you don’t pay via Direct Debit, please allow more time for processing the payment.
I can’t pay my energy bill. Can I have a payment holiday or defer payments?
We understand this is a worrying time for our customers and want to do what we can to support you. So, if you’re experiencing financial hardship, please talk to us. You can email your account manager or contactteam@drax.com with your account details and request. You can also visit the Government website or Business Debtline to explore the help available for small and medium sized organisations.
Please continue to provide meter reads if it’s safe to do so in line with Government guidance. This allows us to bill you for your actual electricity usage rather than base it on an estimate. You can send your meter reading to meterread@drax.com, or via the contact form on our website.
Metering and smart meter questions
What should I do about meter readings?
In line with Government guidelines, we’re enforcing social distancing to minimise the spread of Covid-19. This means we’re postponing all non-essential metering services and site visits.
If you don’t have a Smart, Automated Meter Reading (AMR) device or Half Hourly (HH) meter, please provide us with regular meter readings by emailing meterread@drax.com or using our contact form. Please only get the reading if it’s safe and in line with Government guidelines. If you’re unable to provide meter readings, please speak to your account manager.
If you do have one of these meters, good news: you don’t need to send us meter readings. Smart, AMR and HH meters send us readings automatically.
Are you still offering metering services and site visits?
In line with government instructions, we’re enforcing social distancing to minimise the spread of COVID-19. As such, we’re postponing all non-essential metering services and site visits for our customers.
What if there’s an emergency or the business is an essential service?
Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our teams, our customers and everyone connected to our company. We’re therefore ensuring that we support vulnerable, domestic end-users and essential organisations as much as we can. The following examples are scenarios where we believe metering services are essential:
- Health and safety issues due to metering.
- Meter issues that are affecting the continuation of supply for vulnerable customers or essential organisations, e.g. supermarkets and hospitals.
- Meter installations for safety, vulnerability or critical infrastructure reasons.
This link details organisations that the Government guidelines consider to be essential services.
If your organisation is an essential service (according to the guidelines) or there’s an emergency (see the list of essential services above), please let us know via metering@drax.com
How is Covid-19 affecting the smart rollout?
As a result of Covid-19, we’re pausing all smart installations until mid-June, at which time we’ll review the situation. We’ve also cancelled all appointments for meter exchanges during this period and, until further notice, we’re not scheduling any new appointments. We’ve contacted all affected customers by phone, letter or e-mail.
If you’d like to register your interest in a smart meter, you can still do this by filling out this form.
General questions
What does Covid-19 mean for the security of my electricity supply?
The Electricity Systems Operation (ESO) in the UK has stated they have well-developed procedures in place to manage the effect of a pandemic. We’re confident in our ability to continue our supply and are well-prepared and well-supported by the Government, Ofgem and our stakeholders.
What do I do if my organisation has a power outage?
If you have an issue with your electricity supply due to a loss of power, please contact your local Distribution Network Operator by calling 105.