Bulb Energy Enters Special Administration: What's next?
Bulb Energy was founded in 2015 and quickly become one of the largest suppliers in the UK. Before going into special administration on 22 November 2021, they had a customer base of 1.7 million customers. Read on to find out what you should do if you are a Bulb customer.
Bulb Energy has gone into a special administration.Bulb Energy has decided to enter a special administration with the energy regulator Ofgem. The supplier will continue to operate as normal if you are an existing customer. Your bills, supply, and switches will remain unchanged.
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| Domestic Market: England, Scotland & Wales | 100% renewable electricity |
| Customers: 1.7 million | Installs SMETS2 smart meters |
| Electricity sources: Renewables | No fixed-rate offers |
Bulb Energy Customer? What to do next
If you were one of the 1.7 million Bulb Energy customers, we've prepared an FAQ to help answer your questions about what will happen next and what you need to do.
Bulb Energy Frequently Asked Questions
1) I'm an Bulb Energy customer - will I continue to receive energy?
Due to Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) scheme, customers will continue to receive gas. Any energy supplier that stops trading has its licence revoked, and a bidding process is started to reassign their customers to another supplier, according to the scheme's terms.
When an energy supplier goes out of business, it will often take its website offline shortly after, so we recommend logging in to your customer portal as soon as possible and downloading any bills and statements so you have a written record of this information.
2) Will my energy tariff change?
Former Bulb Energy customers will be put on a deemed tariff rate, which will be protected by the energy price cap. We recommend that you either shop around for a better deal or request that the new supplier, once selected, place you on a different tariff because these are some of the most expensive rates a supplier can charge. When you leave your appointed new supplier under the SoLR scheme, you are not required to pay exit fees.
3) How can I get contact my new supplier?
Once Ofgem has selected a new supplier for Bulb customers, the new supplier will get in touch with you to inform you about the changes.
4) I’ve already changed supplier. Will the switch still go ahead?
If you were had already started switching away from Bulb Energy, the switch should still go through, and any Direct Debit you had set up with them should be automatically cancelled. We still advise you to double-check with your bank just to be sure.
Likewise, if you are switching to Bulb Energy, the switch will still go ahead. You are free to cancel the switch if you are within your 14 day cooling off period. If the cooling off period has passed, you can switch to a new supplier at any time. Bulb Energy does not have exit fees on its tariffs.
5) I had credit on my Bulb Energy account. Will this be refunded?
All customer credit will still be honoured under the terms of the Ofgem SoLR scheme.
6) I was in debt with Bulb Energy. Am I still required to pay it?
You will still be responsible for any outstanding Bulb Energy debts. Shell Energy will let you know whether they will take on your debt or if you will have to work out a payment plan with an administrator, a company that takes over a failing business.
7) I don't want Shell Energy to provide my energy. Is it possible for me to switch to a different supplier?
After the transfer from Bulb Energy to Shell Energy has gone ahead, you're free to switch to another supplier without incurring any exit fees or penalties. We work with a panel of top energy suppliers at Selectra, including British Gas and EDF. To learn more about our best deals, call 020 3936 0059 or request a free callback now.
Who were Bulb Energy?
Bulb Energy Ltd. was founded by Hayden Wood and Amit Gudka in 2015. By 2018, the energy supplier was already one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK.
Bulb Energy said it used technology to find new ways to help people lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint. It provided 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon neutral gas.
Bulb Energy grew dramatically and in 2017, Bulb Energy supplied just 15,000 homes. As of November 2021, the renewable supplier had over 1.7 million customers.
Who owns Bulb Energy?
Bulb Energy Ltd. is a subsidiary of Simple Energy. Since Bulb Energy began trading in 2015, the directors have been its founders, Amit Gudka and Hayden Wood.
Rates & Prices
Bulb Energy offered just one single tariff: the Bulb Vari-Fair tariff. It was available for customers with standard, Economy 7 and prepayment meters.
The rates with this tariff were variable, so they fluctuated with the wholesale cost of energy. Since your rates were not guaranteed, this tariff did not charge an exit fee.
Although Bulb provided just one tariff, pricing did vary depending on your meter type and location.
For more information on the prices Bulb offered, check out our dedicated Bulb Energy tariffs guide.
This supplier has gone bust. Find out what to do next.
Selectra's Energy Team can guide you through the steps.
Save money on your energy bills with Selectra
Selectra is currently closed. You can leave your phone number and get a free callback.
Did Bulb use smart meters?
Bulb Energy began installing second-generation smart meters (SMETS) across Great Britain. Let's take a look at some of the benefits of having a Bulb smart meter:
- You no longer have to submit meter readings because the Bulb smart meter will submit them automatically.
- Say goodbye to estimated bills. With the automatic meter readings feature, Bulb Energy didn't need to estimate your consumption.
- With the In-Home Display (IHD) that comes with the Bulb smart meter, as well as via the Bulb app, you could monitor your energy consumption and spend in near real-time.
Bulb smart meter installation
You could book a Bulb smart meter installation either through your online Bulb Energy account or by calling Bulb Energy customer service.
On the day of the smart meter installation, someone over the age of 18 had to be at the property for the entirety of the appointment. It usually didn't take longer than two hours to complete the installation.
The day of the Bulb Energy smart meter installation would go as follows:
- The engineer called you when he/she is on the way.
- When the engineer arrived, he/she would run some safety checks and turn off your power supply. The supply would be off for around 20 minutes per meter. If this was going to be an issue (perhaps for medical reasons), you were advised to let Bulb Energy know before.
- The new Bulb smart meter(s) was installed.
- The engineer gave you your new In-Home Display monitor. It took up to 48 hours before it showed your information.
Bulb smart meter compatibility
If you switched to Bulb Energy with a first-generation smart meter (SMETS1), it would only work properly if it is a Secure smart meter. Utilita, Octopus Energy, First Utility, OVO, E.on and Bristol Energy have also installed Secure smart meters. If one of these providers installed your smart meter, it should be compatible with Bulb Energy.
If your SMETS1 meter was not made by Secure, you could still switch to Bulb Energy. However, your smart meter lost its smart functionality and you would be required to submit your meter readings manually.
This issue with smart meter interoperability is still being fixed among all suppliers.
Bulb Energy login
One of the most popular Bulb Energy features was the online account platform. Once you were logged in to your Bulb Energy account, you would be able to do the following:
- Track your usage.
- See past usage details.
- Submit meter readings.
- Check your balance.
For more information about managing your account online, visit our Bulb Energy login guide.
Bulb Energy Warm Home Discount
Bulb Energy was part of the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Through this scheme, eligible customers can get £140 off their energy bills.
Customers who paid via direct debit will have the discount applied to the credit. Prepayment customers will need to go to the Post Office to pick up a voucher. It will contain instructions about how to apply the £140 discount to your meter.
If you qualify for the core group, you will receive a letter confirming your eligibility, typically by the end of December.
If you’re not eligible for the core group, you may still be able to apply for the Bulb Energy Warm Home Discount as a member of the ‘broader group’. You’ll need to qualify for one of Bulb’s eligible low-income benefits, as well as another benefit from their list of criteria.
Bulb Energy meter readings
There are few different ways that you could submit your Bulb Energy meter readings.
- Online - Submit your Bulb Energy meter readings via your online account.
- Using the Bulb app - Use your phone’s camera to submit meter readings via the app.
- By phone - You can contact Bulb customer service.
Is this your first time taking a meter reading? If you’ve never done it before, it can be a bit confusing. Head to our complete meter reading guide for assistance to ensure that your readings and bills are accurate.
If you’re tired of having to submit Bulb Energy meter readings each month, we recommend having a smart meter installed. This type of meter will automatically send meter readings each month, so you no longer have to worry about estimated billing.
Business Energy
Similar to its domestic energy offerings, Bulb Energy provided just one tariff for business energy. It also included 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon neutral gas. Unlike most other business energy suppliers, Bulb did not charge exit fees for leaving the contract early.
Bulb Energy Referral Scheme
Bulb Energy offered a £50 referral scheme! You and a friend could get up to £50 when he/she joins through your referral link.
If the recruit switched only the electricity or gas supply to Bulb Energy (rather than both fuels), each of you would only get £25.
As the referrer, your recruit had to use your individual link when he/she signed up to Bulb Energy online. You will only receive the reward once the switch was successful.
A friend is not eligible to be recruited if any of the following are applicable:
- He/she had already signed up to Bulb Energy.
- He/she was already on supply with Bulb Energy.
- He/she has been a customer within the past 12 months.
- He/she was under the age of 18.
If your friend cancelled the agreement before the switch has gone through, all rewards would be cancelled. As the referrer, you would receive an email when a recruit signed up, and again when the switch had taken place.
How long did it take to switch to Bulb?
It took up to 21 days for your switch to Bulb Energy to go through. This included a 14-day cooling-off period from the day you signed up. During this two-week period, you were free to cancel the switch to Bulb Energy.
Once you’d registered with Bulb, the switching date couldn't be changed. Newly registered Bulb Energy customers were able to track the progress of their switch via their online Bulb account.
If you are in the process of switching your energy supply to Bulb Energy on or before 22 November 2021, your switch will still go ahead despite Bulb Energy going into special administration.
Contact Bulb Energy
Need to contact Bulb Energy. You can find the supplier’s contact details laid out in the table below. For more details about how to contact the supplier, head to our dedicated Bulb Energy contact guide.
| Department | Contact Number | Opening Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Bulb Energy customer service | 0300 303 0635 | Monday to Friday: 9am-6pm |
| Power cut | 105 | 24/7 |
| Gas leak | 0800 111 999 | 24/7 |
| Energy Ombudsman | 0330 440 1624 | Monday to Friday: 8am-8pm, Saturday: 9am-1pm |
This supplier has gone bust. Find out what to do next.
Selectra's Energy Team can guide you through the steps.
Save money on your energy bills with Selectra
Selectra is currently closed. You can leave your phone number and get a free callback.
Bulb Energy fuel mix
Since launching in 2015, Bulb Energy provided 100% renewable electricity. This electricity came from sources such as solar, wind and hydropower.
The gas that Bulb Energy supplied was also 100% carbon neutral. This means that Bulb offsets the emissions by funding projects to reduce carbon emissions across the world.
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