How to set up gas and electric in a new home
Short answer
Find out which supplier already serves the property, then tell it your move-in date and give meter readings taken that day. If the gas and electricity already work, there is nothing to connect: you are supplied on a deemed contract, usually the supplier's default tariff. Once you are responsible for the property, you can switch tariff or supplier.
Updated
£0
What you owe for energy used before you moved in
5
Working days a supplier has to complete your switch
14
Days to cancel a switch if you change your mind
Setting up energy at a new address is mostly admin. If the gas and electricity already work, a supplier is already supplying the property and you are already its customer. Your job is to get the account into your name from the right meter reading, then decide whether the tariff you landed on is worth keeping.
Before you set anything up
You are already on a tariff, and it is probably the expensive one
Moving in without choosing a tariff puts you on the existing supplier's default tariff. Ofgem states that default and deemed tariffs are usually among a supplier's most expensive. They are covered by the price cap, which from 1 October 2026 is £1,935 a year on the like-for-like consumption basis, or £1,723 on Ofgem's own current basis. Both describe the same unit rates, and a cap is a ceiling on rates rather than a good deal.
Wrong move date, inherited debt or a blocked switch?
Correct the account responsibility before comparing a new tariff.
- Keep the tenancy or handover date, opening readings, meter serial number and supplier reference. Ask for a reviewed bill if charges predate your responsibility.
- For a prepayment meter, tell the supplier you have moved in before topping up against an inherited balance.
- A heat network needs its own supplier and charging checks; the ordinary energy cap does not cover communal heat.
How do I set up communal heat separately?
Ask the managing agent who bills for heating and hot water.
- Your separate domestic electricity account may be comparable even when the building’s heat supply cannot be switched in the ordinary way.
Who supplies gas and electricity to my new home?
Whoever already supplies the property. You do not choose your first supplier at a new address, and you can look it up by postcode before or after you move.
- Renting? Check your rental agreement or ask your landlord who the supplier is and who pays the energy bills.
- For gas, search the postcode on Find My Supplier, or call the Meter Number Helpline on 0870 608 1524. Calls cost 7p a minute plus your phone company's access charge.
- For electricity, find your network operator on the Energy Networks Association website, then search that operator's website for your supplier.
- Your gas and electricity can come from two different companies, so check both.
Sources: Citizens Advice: find out who your gas or electricity supplier is (read 28 September 2026); Ofgem: switch your home energy supplier (read 28 September 2026)
How do I set up gas and electric when I move in?
Five steps, in the order that keeps your first bill right. The meter reading on move-in day matters most, because it separates your usage from the previous occupier's.
- Citizens Advice says to contact the current supplier to tell it you have moved in, and to give it meter readings from the day you move in so your first bill is accurate.
- If the supplier asks for proof of your move-in date, Citizens Advice says to send a copy of your tenancy agreement or mortgage contract.
- If the property has a prepayment meter, contact the supplier before you put any money on it. Ask it to take any debt off the meter and to give you a new key or card.
- If there is no gas or electricity supply at all, contact your local electricity distributor or gas network operator to get connected, and choose a supplier, which is the company that will bill you. Suppliers have to supply new customers who ask.
Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home, dealing with your energy supply (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: get your home connected to a gas or electricity supply (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: check if you are responsible for paying an energy bill (read 28 September 2026)
- 1
Find out who supplies the property
Ask your landlord or letting agent, or look it up by postcode: Find My Supplier for gas, and your network operator's supplier search for electricity.
- 2
Read the meters on move-in day
Photograph the gas and electricity meters on the day you move in, with the readings clearly visible, and keep the photos with the date.
- 3
Tell the supplier you have moved in
Give the supplier your move-in date and those readings, and ask for the account to be in your name from that date.
- 4
Ask which tariff you are on
Unless you chose one, it is the supplier's default tariff. Ask for the unit rates and standing charges so you can compare them.
- 5
Decide whether to stay or switch
Compare what the default would cost you against the market, on your own likely usage. You can switch once you are responsible for the property.
What tariff am I on when I move in?
The supplier's default tariff, unless you choose another. Supply carries on from the day you take over, and the supplier bills you on its most basic offer until you pick something else.
- Ofgem says you can be put on a default tariff if you have moved into a property and not agreed a new one. The most common kind is a deemed tariff that is standard variable.
- Ofgem also says deemed contracts and default tariffs are usually among a supplier's most expensive.
- Standard variable tariffs are the ones the Ofgem price cap protects. The cap is the most a supplier can charge for a unit of energy and the daily standing charge.
- The cap does not limit your total bill. The more energy you use, the more you pay.
- It does not cover fixed tariffs, business energy contracts, heat networks or heating oil.
- Ofgem sets the cap every three months, so a move close to a change can span two sets of rates.
Sources: Ofgem: energy terms explained (read 28 September 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 28 September 2026)
Can I switch energy supplier after moving in?
Yes, from the day you become responsible for the property, as long as you pay the supplier yourself rather than through your rent.
- Citizens Advice says you can switch from a standard variable tariff at any time. Exit fees apply when you leave a fixed tariff early, so leaving the default normally costs nothing.
- If your landlord pays the supplier, you cannot switch yourself and need to ask your landlord. If you pay the supplier directly, you can switch, including with a prepayment meter.
- Check your tenancy agreement for a list of suppliers you have to choose from, or a clause asking you to switch back when your tenancy ends.
- Ofgem requires a switch to be completed within 5 working days. If it is not, your new supplier must pay you £40.
- You can cancel a switch within 14 days if you change your mind.
- A switch at a new address is sometimes declined over a balance left on the account from before you moved in. That balance is not yours to pay.
Sources: Citizens Advice: switch energy supplier or tariff (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: switching energy supplier or tariff if you are renting (read 28 September 2026); Ofgem: switch your home energy supplier (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: check if you are responsible for paying an energy bill (read 28 September 2026)
What does Taupia do, and what do you do?
Taupia finds and compares. You keep the supplier relationship, make any calls to the supplier yourself, and approve every change.
- Before you move, add the address and your move-in date. Taupia tells you which supplier already serves the property.
- It compares tariffs against that starting point and finds deals that suit your home, so you can see whether the default is worth keeping.
- It lets you line up a switch dated for your move-in day. Nothing changes without your approval.
- If the switch is declined, Taupia tells you what to say, what to send and which reading to give. You make the call to the supplier yourself.
- You pay the supplier's own rates directly. Taupia is not a middleman and adds no markup.
- Council tax, water and your TV Licence sit in the same move-in checklist.
What should I check on my first energy bill?
- The start date matches the day you moved in.
- The opening readings match your photos.
- The MPRN and MPAN on the bill match the ones registered to your address. If they do not, the bill may be for the wrong meter, so contact the supplier.
- The tariff name, unit rates, standing charges and payment method are what you expected.
- If a cap change fell inside the billing period, the split between old and new rates matches your readings.
- Nothing is charged for energy used before you moved in. If it is, give the supplier your move-in date and a reading, and ask for a new bill.
- Your renewal and fixed-term dates are saved somewhere you will see them, so the account does not drift unnoticed.
Sources: Citizens Advice: check if you are responsible for paying an energy bill (read 28 September 2026)
Which setup applies to your home?
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The gas and electricity already work | There is nothing to connect. Tell the supplier already serving the property your move-in date and give it readings from that day. |
| You do not know who the supplier is | Look it up by postcode: Find My Supplier or 0870 608 1524 for gas, and your network operator's supplier search for electricity. |
| There is a prepayment meter | Contact the supplier before you top up. Ask it to take any debt off the meter and to give you a new key or card. |
| Your landlord pays the energy bills | There is nothing for you to set up. Your landlord deals with the supplier, and only your landlord can switch it. |
| There is no gas or electricity supply | Contact your local electricity distributor or gas network operator for a connection, and choose a supplier to bill you. |
Energy setup questions when moving home
How do I set up gas and electric for a new home?
Find out who already supplies the property, photograph the meters on the day you move in, and give that supplier your move-in date and readings. If the gas and electricity already work there is nothing to connect, because you are already supplied on a deemed contract. Once the account is in your name, compare tariffs and switch if a better one suits you.
Who supplies gas and electricity to my new home?
The company already supplying the property. For gas, Find My Supplier or the Meter Number Helpline on 0870 608 1524 will tell you from the postcode. For electricity, find your network operator on the Energy Networks Association website, then use that operator's supplier search. Our guide to finding your energy supplier covers both.
Do I need an old bill to set up energy after moving?
No. Start with your new address, move-in date, and opening meter readings. A previous bill can help, but it is not the only way to begin.
Am I on the energy price cap after moving in?
Usually, yes. If you have not chosen a tariff you are on the supplier's default tariff, which Ofgem says is most commonly a deemed tariff that is standard variable, and the price cap protects standard variable tariffs. It does not cover fixed tariffs, business energy contracts, heat networks or heating oil, and it does not limit your total bill.
Should I switch energy straight after moving in, or wait?
You can switch as soon as you are responsible for the property, and leaving a default tariff normally costs nothing, because exit fees apply to fixed tariffs. The case for waiting is that one full billing period gives you a real usage figure for a home you have never lived in, which makes comparing fixed tariffs more meaningful. The case against is that the default is usually among a supplier's most expensive tariffs, so waiting has a running cost.
Will Taupia always lower my energy bill?
No. Taupia helps you compare available options, estimated costs, and setup steps, but actual bills depend on usage, tariff terms, and market conditions.
What should I do if the first bill uses estimated readings?
Compare it with your opening photos and submit a correction to the supplier if the dates or readings do not match.
How do I get a new electricity supply?
Usually you do not need one. If the electricity already works, you only need an account with the supplier already serving the property. If there is no supply at all, contact your local electricity distributor, which is the network operator for your area, to arrange a connection, and choose a supplier to bill you. Suppliers have to supply new customers who ask.
What happens to my gas and electric when moving home?
Your tariff does not move with you automatically. Tell your current supplier at least 48 hours before you move, give it final readings on moving day and pay the final bill. Some suppliers will let you keep your tariff at the new address, so ask. At the new home you start with whoever already supplies it, usually on its default tariff.
Plan the rest of your move-in bills
Use these guides to keep energy setup connected to the wider move-home workflow.
Start here
Who is my gas and electricity supplier?
RecommendedThe official postcode lookups for gas and electricity, and who supplies a new home from the day you move in.
First-time renter bills setup
The main guide to setting up bills when renting: what each bill is and what drives its price.
Price cap when you move in
Which tariff you were placed on, what the cap protects, and when to switch.
Switch declined after moving in?
Why a move-in switch gets objected to, and the wording that clears it.
Billed for the previous tenant's energy?
What to do when a first bill includes energy used before you moved in.
Prepayment meter in your new home
What to do before you top up a meter someone else was using.
Forgot to take a final meter reading?
How to settle a final or opening bill when nobody read the meters on the day.
Move-in bills checklist
See the full order for council tax, water, energy, broadband, and mobile setup.
Broadband setup guide
Coordinate energy setup with broadband activation and installation timing.
Move-home hub
Return to the main Taupia move-home hub and bill cards.
Cite this page
Taupia. "How to set up gas and electric in a new home". Last updated 7 October 2026. https://taupia.com/move-home/energy-bill-setup
Start your move-in energy setup
Taupia tells you which supplier serves your new address before you move, compares tariffs against it and lets you line up a switch dated for your move-in day. You pay the supplier directly, with no markup. Nothing changes without your approval.