What To Do In An Emergency
Gas
If you think you can smell gas
If you suspect you have a gas leak and/or can smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service hotline on 0800 111 999. This line is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By taking the following actions you can help keep your home safe:
Do
Ventilate- open doors and windows to let the gas escape
Check your gas appliances are switched off and all knobs are in the off position
Call the 24-hour National Gas Emergency hotline on 0800 111 999
Turn your gas off at the control handle by turning it 90 degrees from the pipe, if it’s safe to do so (make sure it’s in an accessible area)
Wait outside and let your neighbours know.
Don’t
Do not operate any switches, this includes lights, doorbells or any push buttons
Do not use mobile phones and take them out of the area
Do not smoke, light a match, or use any other kind of naked flame including candles
Do not go back into your home until you've got the all-clear by the gas emergency line or engineer.
You should always know where your Emergency Control Valve for your gas meter is. It is important to note its location when you move into a new property, it will usually be in the same compartment as the meter and will be a red/maroon colour.
If you're worried fumes containing Carbon Monoxide are escaping from a gas appliance, contact the National Gas Emergency Service hotline on 0800 111 999 and they will advise you further.
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless and colourless gas, but you may start to feel cold like symptoms and notice yellow flames on your gas hob rather than usual blue flames.
What To Do If Your Gas Isn’t Working:
If your hot water or heating has stopped working, there could be a few reasons behind this.
Has your boiler stopped working?
You should check any other gas appliances to see if they are still receiving gas (e.g. a gas hob or gas fire)
If it’s only your boiler that’s not working call a local Registered Gas Safety Engineer who will be able to diagnose the problem
You can find a local engineer at https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/
Are other houses in your area affected?
You can find out by contacting your Gas Transporter on 0800 111 999.
Is the problem with your meter?
If the fault is with your meter, please contact us via the methods outlined at the bottom of this page
Electricity
If You Experience a Power Cut
If you experience a power cut, you need to call your electricity distribution company. They look after the service connecting your home from the national grid.
You can call the 24-hour electricity hotline on 105 and you'll be automatically redirected to the local distribution company free of charge. Alternatively, you can find your local distribution company on https://www.powercut105.com/FindOperator.
If you notice sparks or smoke coming from the meter or associated equipment, call 999 immediately and let 105 know.
If you notice any signs of arching and sparking, or a smell of burning plastic, turn off your electrical appliances if it’s safe to do. Always know where your consumer unit is located and how to switch off the electricity in the event of an emergency.
What To Do If Your Electricity Isn’t Working:
No electricity supply doesn’t always mean there is a fault with the meter. The problem may lie with an appliance in your home or with your local distribution network.
Do your neighbours have electricity?
If houses in your area also have no power, then the responsibility lies with your Distribution Network Provider to get you back on supply. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if it has affected anyone else, you can call 105 to confirm the outage in your area or report it.
Are the trip switches for your consumer unit in the ‘ON’ position?
A faulty appliance may have caused the switch to trip. Returning these switches to ‘ON’ should return your power.
If you have an isolator switch, please check that this is on.
If you are unsure of how to do this or concerned there may be a health and safety risk, please contact a registered electrician for further advice.
Is there any damage to the main switch or meter?
If your meter and consumer unit are located in a communal area, you may need to check for any vandalism or damage to the meter equipment.
If your switches are in the on position and there are no problems with your local network, please contact us via the methods outlined at the bottom of this page.
Was your smart meter in pre-payment mode with a previous supplier?
If you have a first Generation Smart meter and were on a pre-pay tariff with your previous supplier, your meter might not have switched correctly to credit mode on your switchover date. If you believe this might have happened please contact us via the methods below, we may also advise to contact your previous Supplier.
How to get in contact with us?
Contact our customer care team on 0330 111 5050 if your emergency occurs between the hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Outside of these hours, please use fill out the emergency request form linked here. Filling out this form gives us all the information we need to act promptly and appropriately to best resolve the issue as quickly as possible. If for whatever reason you are unable to fill out the form please email emergency@so.energy including your account number, name, contact details and a short description of the issue.
Please note, the email address and form responses are monitored from 8:30am - 5.30pm, Monday-Friday. Once we have received your request, a member of the team will respond as soon as possible, usually within the hour. Only emails and form submissions related to emergencies will receive a response. If your email reaches us outside of these hours, you will receive a response in the morning of the next working day.
Non-Emergency Meter Faults
Sometimes meters can become faulty but aren’t classed as an emergency.
If there is no problem with your supply, but something doesn’t seem right with your meter please contact us at help@so.energy and we can investigate your meter fault. Please also send us a photo or video of your meter to help us diagnose the issue.
We can arrange an appointment with our partner engineers for the next availability within 15 working days to exchange your meter or to carry out any necessary work. Meter problems where you have not lost gas or electricity supply or that do not pose a health and safety risk, might include:
Not being able to obtain a read from your meter.
Your meter read not increasing.
Noises coming from your meter.
We can only help with faults relating to the meter itself, if the problem is with equipment before the meter you will need to reach out to your distribution network on the numbers above. If the problem is with wiring or appliances within your home, you will have to contact a private electrician or registered gas safe engineer.
You can find lots more helpful information in our Meter FAQs.