What is Paperless Billing? How Can You Switch?
Why choose paperless billing?
There a number of reasons why you should opt for paperless billing, but none more so than having a much more organised record of your energy bills, all whilst helping out the environment. In 2018 we can see that many suppliers have even put an end to paper bills. Not only is it more inconvenient for the supplier, but it also means that you have a mountain of papers to file, or, in most cases, throw away.
UK energy companies are trying to make it easier for customers to understand, collect and read their bills, rather than sifting through the post and getting lost with all the papers you have in a drawer somewhere. Of course, there are pros and cons to having paperless billing, but what’s most important is helping out the environment, which is great to see backed by the many energy companies across the country.
A greener future
You might not think it, but by not accepting paper bills through your door, you are saving the planet. It might be in a small way, but you are certainly helping. Each month, without paperless billing, millions of sheets of paper would need to be sent to homes across the UK each month, along with the many other household bills that come through the letter box. Given that on average, one tree will make around 8,333 sheets of paper, we would have to cut down, on average, 6,000 trees each month just to bill Britain's 50 million household customers.
We would have to cut down, on average, 6,000 trees each month
There is no exact figure, but we would estimate that over 30% of energy customers nationwide have already opted for paperless billing. Of course, it is unreasonable to expect older generations, that do not have access to the internet or have no interest in technology, to go paperless, but in the future it is probable that we will see larger percentages opted for online billing, much like the online banking influx.
Although the environmental benefits are quite obvious, there are still groups of campaigners against the switch to paperless billing. Keep Me Posted UK, in particular, are campaigning to stop energy providers forcing paperless upon their customers. At present, most energy companies actually charge those customers who require paper bills an additional cost, but organisations such as this one are trying to put an end to this.
How does it work?
Instead of receiving your bills through the post, you will receive the same bill but via email in PDF form. This is basically just an image file of what your bill would be like on paper. You can, of course, also print your bill off if you still want to keep some things in tangible form, but all bills was also be kept in your online account.
Online customer accounts can be set up by just entering your name, address and account number, which can be found on your bills (PDF or paper). Once you have set up your account you will able to log in and see your bills in one, organised place whenever and wherever you so please. Setting up an online account will also allow you to switch back to paper billing should you decide that it is not to your taste.
You can keep everything in one easy place.
Be more organised
How many times have you had to turn your house upside down looking for a bill, whether it be energy or otherwise? Countless, we would imagine. With online bill management, this is no longer the case. Just like with your emails and online banking, you can search for specific bill months and amounts quickly and simply. Even if you file your paper bills, you still have to search through them for the specific amounts and months. With the application of basic filters, you can quickly identify the bill you're looking for online.
Online billing is not just available through your desktop computer, but through useful, easy to use apps on your mobile and tablet, too. Having this feature for all of your household bills, such as broadband, TV subscriptions and water bills, you will be able much more organised with absolutely no effort. Think of it as being your personal, online filing cabinet.
Contact selectraTo switch to a paperless billing tariff or to find out more information, call Selectra today on 01704 325056