Unit rate
31.34p / kWh
inc-VAT, May 2026
Min & max
£1 to £175
Per top-up, depending on channel
Best rate
~30.53p / kWh
App, £150 top-up (Reward)
Power NI Keypad top-up methods compared
Every Power NI top-up channel is free and gives you an instant 20-digit Powercode. The differences are the minimum / maximum amount, whether you can claim the Keypad Reward bonus, and how fast you can complete the transaction. Choose the channel that gives you the highest effective discount.
| Channel | Min | Max | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Power NI app (iOS / Android) |
£5 | £175 per top-up | 2.5% + up to £4 free credit on top-ups ≥ £50 |
|
Energy Online portal |
£5 | £175 per top-up | 2.5% + up to £4 free credit on top-ups ≥ £50 |
|
Phone — 03457 455 455 |
£10 | £175 per top-up | 2.5% only — no Keypad Reward bonus |
|
PayPoint outlet |
£1 | £99 per top-up | 2.5% only — no Keypad Reward bonus |
|
Post Office counter |
£1 | £99 per top-up | 2.5% only — no Keypad Reward bonus |
All channels are free of charge for the top-up itself. Card-issuer fees may apply if you use a credit card. The 2.5% Keypad discount is applied automatically on every top-up regardless of channel; the Keypad Reward bonus of £1 to £4 of free electricity is paid only on top-ups of £50 or more made through the app or Energy Online.
Top up your Power NI Keypad in-store
You can top up your Power NI Keypad meter at any PayPoint outlet or Post Office branch in Northern Ireland that accepts Keypad cards. There are approximately 1,300 PayPoint outlets across NI, corner shops, petrol-station forecourts and convenience stores all qualify.
How it works
- 1.Bring your Keypad card (issued when your meter was installed) to the counter.
- 2.Tell the cashier the amount you want to top up (£1 minimum, £99 maximum per transaction).
- 3.Pay by card or cash. The till prints a receipt showing the 20-digit Powercode.
- 4.Enter the Powercode into your meter (see step-by-step below).
Worth knowing
- You earn the standard 2.5% Keypad discount but not the Keypad Reward bonus, that only applies to app/online top-ups of £50+.
- Keep your receipt, if the meter rejects the Powercode with an Error message, you can re-enter it from the printout.
- If you have lost your Keypad card, call 08000 285 455 for a free replacement.
Top up your Power NI Keypad by phone (24/7)
Call 03457 455 455, the automated line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call costs the same as any standard NI landline call (free from most mobile-phone tariffs).
Step-by-step
- 1Dial 03457 455 455 and press 1 when prompted to top up.
- 2Enter your 19-digit Premise number (printed on a previous Powercode receipt or visible in Energy Online).
- 3Enter the top-up amount (£10 minimum, £175 maximum by phone).
- 4Enter your debit or credit card details. The 20-digit Powercode is read out at the end of the call and (if you have registered a mobile number) also sent by SMS.
Note: the phone channel earns the 2.5% Keypad discount but not the Keypad Reward bonus. Use the app for top-ups of £50 or more to claim the extra £1-£4 free credit.
Top up your Power NI Keypad online
Online top-ups are processed through Energy Online, the Power NI customer portal. You can top up with or without a registered account. £5 minimum, £175 maximum per transaction. Top-ups of £50 or more qualify for the Keypad Reward bonus on top of the 2.5% Keypad discount.
Energy Online (registered)
Log in to energyonline.powerni.co.uk and click the Top up tile on the dashboard. Your card details can be stored for one-tap renewals; the last five Powercodes are saved against your account so you can re-enter any of them if the meter rejects a code.
Open Energy OnlineGuest top-up (no account)
Use the "Top up or pay a bill without registering" link on the Power NI website. Enter the last 9 digits of your Premise number, the top-up amount and your card details. The Powercode appears on the confirmation screen and is emailed if you provide an address.
Guest top-upThe Power NI Keypad app (iOS & Android)
The native Power NI app is the cheapest and fastest top-up channel: Apple Pay / Google Pay support, fingerprint or Face ID login, the last five Powercodes saved against your account and full eligibility for the Keypad Reward bonus on top-ups of £50+.
Apple App Store
Rated 4.7 / 5 across ~12,500 ratings. Supports Apple Pay and Face ID. Free download.
Google Play
Rated 4.5 / 5 across ~9,800 ratings. Supports Google Pay and fingerprint ID. Free download.
PIN protection
The app requires a four-digit PIN at launch and supports optional biometric login. PIN is set the first time you log in with your Energy Online credentials.
Power NI minimum & maximum top-up
The minimum and maximum top-up amounts depend on the channel. The meter itself holds up to £999.99 in credit; once you reach that ceiling you have to wait for the balance to fall before you can top up again. The friendly-credit and emergency-credit features below mean the supply will not be cut outside protected hours, even if you cannot top up immediately.
| Channel | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|
| PayPoint / Post Office (in-store) | £1 | £99 |
| Phone (03457 455 455) | £10 | £175 |
| App & Energy Online | £5 | £175 |
| Meter credit ceiling | N/A | £999.99 |
How to enter your Power NI Powercode
Once you have a 20-digit Powercode (from any channel above), entering it into the meter takes about 60 seconds. Do not pause longer than 60 seconds between key-presses or the entry will time out with an Error message.
-
1
Press the
*keyThe screen displays Enter 20-digit code.
-
2
Type the 20-digit Powercode
Read it off the receipt, SMS, app or Energy Online history. Each digit is echoed back on the meter screen.
-
3
Press the
#key to confirmThe meter shows the credit value added and your new total balance in £ and p.
Power NI Keypad error codes explained
The meter rejects a Powercode for a specific reason and tells you what it is on the display. The table below lists every error message you can see, what it means and the exact action to take.
| Error code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Duplicate | The 20-digit Powercode has already been entered on this meter. |
| Incorrect | The Powercode was keyed incorrectly, or the code belongs to a different property. |
| Error | You missed a digit or the meter timed out between key presses. |
| Kblock | Five incorrect entries have been made — meter is temporarily locked for security. |
| Wrong Tar | A Utility-Regulator-approved price change requires a special "tariff update" code first. |
| Credit Hi | Your meter already holds the maximum £999.99 in credit — it cannot accept more. |
If you see any other code or the meter is unresponsive, call Power NI customer service on 08000 285 455 (Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or NIE Networks for a fault diagnostic on 03457 643 643 (24/7).
Useful Keypad meter shortcuts
The Power NI Keypad meter has several built-in shortcuts that work without internet or a phone call. The most useful ones are below.
Press 1
Days of credit remaining
Estimates how many days your current balance will last based on recent consumption.
Press 3
Activate emergency credit
Adds £7 of emergency credit once your balance is below £1. Repaid from your next top-up.
Press 4
Last five Powercodes
Scrolls through the last five Powercodes the meter has accepted. Useful if a top-up shows as Duplicate.
Press #
Current credit balance
Shows the remaining balance in £ and pence. Press # again to clear the display.
Press 9
Time and date check
Confirms the time the meter uses for friendly-credit hours. Useful if friendly credit fails to engage.
Press *
Start a Powercode entry
Opens the 20-digit Powercode entry mode. Follow with the code then # to confirm.
What to do if you have lost your Powercode
A Powercode is tied to your meter serial number, nobody else can use it, even if they find your receipt. You have four ways to recover a Powercode you have already paid for.
Option 1: Energy Online
Log in to Energy Online, open the Previous top-up code section and copy the 20-digit code into the meter.
Option 2: Power NI app
Open the app and tap Top-up history. The last five Powercodes are listed with date and amount. Long-press a code to copy.
Option 3: Guest portal
Use the top up without registering link with the last 9 digits of your Premise number to view your recent top-up history.
Option 4: Press 4 on the meter
If the code has already been entered into the meter, press 4 to read back the last five codes accepted by the keypad.
Friendly credit & emergency credit explained
Power NI Keypad meters protect customers from going off-supply at inconvenient hours with two built-in features: emergency credit (a top-up advance you can activate yourself) and friendly credit (an automatic out-of-hours grace period when the meter will not disconnect).
Emergency credit
£7 you can claim when your balance drops below £1
Press 3 on the meter when your balance is below £1 and you want to activate the £7 emergency advance. The advance is repaid out of your next top-up, if your top-up is smaller than the outstanding debt, the difference rolls over.
Friendly credit
No disconnection out of working hours
The meter will not cut you off:
- Weekdays from 4 p.m. until 9 a.m. the next working day
- The whole of Saturday and Sunday
- UK bank holidays
Current Power NI Keypad tariff: May 2026
Northern Ireland electricity tariffs are not subject to the GB Energy Price Cap. Every Power NI price change must be approved in advance by the Utility Regulator. Rates below were verified against powerni.co.uk on 14 May 2026.
| Tariff | Unit rate |
|---|---|
| Keypad Standard | 31.34p |
| Keypad Reward (£150 app top-up) | ~30.53p |
| Keypad Economy 7 (day) | 36.50p |
| Keypad Economy 7 (night) | 17.45p |
All figures inc-VAT. Power NI does not sell gas — for mains gas in Northern Ireland, see firmus energy, SSE Airtricity Gas or Yuno Energy depending on your network. See the full Power NI tariffs page for credit, EV and online discount comparisons.
Are you on the right Power NI tariff?
A typical Keypad household pays ~£40-£60 a year more than a Bill Pay Monthly Direct Debit + Online customer. Switching from prepayment to credit is free if you do not have meter debt. Compare in two minutes.
Compare Power NI tariffsPower NI Keypad top-up: frequently asked questions
The meter screen shows the exact reason. The five common ones are Duplicate (already entered), Incorrect (mistyped or wrong meter), Error (timed out mid-entry), Kblock (five wrong tries — locked for an hour) and Wrong Tar (a regulator-approved price change is pending — buy a tiny top-up first to receive the tariff-update code).
The error code table above tells you the exact action to take for each.
The cheapest route is the Power NI app or the Energy Online portal with a top-up of £50 or more. You then earn both the standard 2.5% Keypad discount AND the Keypad Reward bonus of £1-£4 free electricity. The same top-up at PayPoint or the Post Office earns the 2.5% discount only — you lose the Reward bonus.
On a typical £150 top-up, the app gets you ~30.53p/kWh effective; the same top-up at a shop counter costs ~31.34p/kWh.
Minimum top-up is £1 in person (PayPoint, Post Office) and £5 via the app or Energy Online. Maximum is £99 per top-up in person and £175 per top-up online or by phone. The keypad meter itself can hold up to £999.99 in credit; once you reach that ceiling you have to wait for the balance to fall before you can top up again.
Any of the ~1,300 PayPoint outlets in Northern Ireland and any Post Office branch will accept your Keypad card. Bring the card with you — the cashier scans it, you choose the amount, and the receipt prints the 20-digit Powercode you enter into the meter. The transaction takes about 60 seconds.
Call 03457 455 455 (automated, 24/7) and press 1 to top up. You will need your 19-digit Premise number (from a previous Powercode receipt or Energy Online) and a debit/credit card. The 20-digit Powercode is read out at the end of the call and is also sent by SMS if you have registered a mobile number.
Log in to Energy Online and check the "Previous top-up code" section — your last five Powercodes are stored against your Premise number. If you are not registered, use the guest "Top up or pay a bill without registering" link and enter the last 9 digits of your Premise number.
Powercodes are tied to your meter serial number, so they cannot be misused by anyone else. You can also press 4 on the meter to read back the last five codes entered into the keypad itself.
Yes — £7 of emergency credit is available once your balance drops below £1. Press 3 on the meter to activate it. Emergency credit is repaid out of your next top-up.
Friendly credit means the meter will not disconnect outside normal working hours: from 4 p.m. weekdays until 9 a.m. the next working day, and for the whole of weekends and bank holidays. If you run out of credit during these protected hours, your supply stays on until working hours resume.
No. The Keypad unit rate is 31.34p/kWh inc-VAT (post 2.5% discount) — slightly cheaper than the postal Bill Pay rate of 32.15p/kWh, but more expensive than Bill Pay on monthly direct debit + online billing (30.22p/kWh). Customers who can keep a credit meter and pay by monthly direct debit save ~£40-£60 a year over Keypad on a typical 3,200 kWh household.
See the full Power NI tariffs page for a side-by-side comparison.
For any power cut, fallen line or supply emergency, call NIE Networks on 03457 643 643 — 24/7, free of charge. NIE Networks owns the wires; Power NI cannot dispatch engineers. You can also text JOIN to 81025 to subscribe to free SMS outage alerts tied to your address.