If you are moving in
- record the date your business becomes responsible
- take opening meter readings
- photograph the meters
- keep evidence of your occupancy date
- tell PE that your business is now responsible
- check the first bill carefully.
PE Solutions Moving Premises Help
Moving Business Premises With PE Solutions or Pozitive Energy
If your business is moving into or out of premises supplied by PE, get the responsibility date and meter evidence right from the start.
Take photographs of the meters, record every relevant reading and keep evidence showing when your responsibility for the premises began or ended.
Those few pieces of evidence can become extremely important if the first bill, final bill or Change of Tenancy record is wrong.
What should I do when moving premises with PE?
If PE already supplies the premises, do not assume the previous occupier's account or contract simply transfers to you.
If you are moving out
- record the final responsibility date
- take closing readings
- photograph the meters
- tell PE you are leaving
- keep the Change of Tenancy evidence
- check the final bill before treating the account as closed.
Do not guess meter readings.
Do not rely on cancelling a Direct Debit to close an account.
Do this on the day responsibility changes
Take clear photographs showing:
- The whole meter
- The meter reading
- The meter serial number
- Every relevant register
If there is more than one meter, photograph each one separately.
Keep the original photographs.
Also keep evidence showing when responsibility changed, such as a lease, completion statement or landlord confirmation where relevant.
Moving into premises supplied by PE
If PE already supplies the property when your business moves in, tell PE who is now responsible for the energy supply.
Record the actual date your business becomes responsible for the premises.
- Take opening meter readings.
- Photograph each meter.
- Check the meter serial numbers.
- Record every relevant register.
- Keep your lease or other occupancy evidence.
- Keep copies of anything submitted to PE.
- Do not use the previous occupier's reading unless it genuinely matches the meter when your responsibility begins.
Check your first PE bill
When the first bill arrives, do not just check the amount.
- Legal customer name
- Supply address
- Responsibility start date
- Electricity MPAN where shown
- Gas MPRN where shown
- Meter serial number
- Opening reading
- Whether the reading is actual or estimated
- Contract Type
- Unit rates
- Every fixed daily charge
- VAT
- CCL where applicable
- Payments already made
If something is wrong, raise it early and keep the evidence.
Will I automatically get the previous occupier's PE contract?
Do not assume so.
If your business becomes responsible for premises that PE already supplies and you have not agreed a fixed PE contract, a Deemed arrangement can arise.
The previous occupier's fixed contract should not simply be treated as your business's contract.
Check the Contract Type on the PE account and bill.
If it says Deemed, check PE's current Deemed rates and decide whether you want to agree a contract or move supplier.
PE is billing me for the previous occupier
Do not treat this as just a billing complaint.
First establish the responsibility period.
Compare the date PE says your responsibility started with the date your business actually became responsible.
Then gather evidence showing:
- Your legal business name
- The supply address
- The responsibility date
- Opening meter readings
- Meter photographs
- Meter serial numbers
- Lease, completion or occupancy evidence where relevant
- Any Change of Tenancy correspondence
Tell PE exactly which period you accept responsibility for and which period you dispute. Do not simply write: “This debt isn't ours.” Give PE the evidence needed to separate the previous occupier's period from yours.
PE Complaints HelpPE has used the wrong move-in date
A wrong responsibility date can affect much more than the customer name.
It can affect:
- How much energy is attributed to your business
- Opening readings
- Fixed daily charges
- VAT and CCL treatment
- The balance brought onto the account
- The period PE says you owe for
If the date is wrong, tell PE the date they are currently using, the date you believe is correct, why that date is correct and what evidence supports it. Useful evidence can include a lease, completion documents, landlord confirmation, business occupancy evidence, opening meter photographs, opening readings and Change of Tenancy correspondence.
The opening meter reading is wrong
Compare the reading on the first PE bill with the reading you recorded when responsibility began.
If they are different, send PE:
- The reading you believe is correct
- The date it was taken
- A photograph where available
- The meter serial number
- Every relevant register
Do not alter a photograph or recreate evidence after the event. If you did not take an opening reading, say that clearly rather than inventing one.
PE appears to be billing the wrong meter
Check the meter serial number on the physical meter against the meter details shown on the bill.
For electricity, also check the MPAN where available.
For gas, check the MPRN where available.
At multi-meter premises, do not assume the nearest meter belongs to your unit.
Photograph the meter and serial number before asking PE to investigate.
Moving out of premises supplied by PE
On the final day your business is responsible for the premises:
- Take closing meter readings.
- Photograph every meter.
- Capture the meter serial numbers.
- Record every relevant register.
- Keep evidence showing the date your responsibility ended.
- Tell PE that your business has left the premises.
- Keep copies of the Change of Tenancy correspondence.
- Do not assume that cancelling the Direct Debit closes the account.
Check the final PE bill
Before treating the account as finished, check:
- Legal customer
- Supply address
- Final responsibility date
- Closing reading
- Meter serial number
- Unit rates
- Fixed daily charges
- VAT and CCL where applicable
- Payments
- Credits
- Outstanding balance
If the closing date or reading is wrong, challenge the underlying account information rather than only challenging the final total.
Should I cancel my PE Direct Debit when I move out?
Do not use cancellation of the Direct Debit as the method of telling PE that you have moved.
The supply account and the payment instruction are different things.
First make sure PE has been told about the Change of Tenancy and has the correct final responsibility date and meter readings.
Then check the final bill and any remaining payment or credit position.
What happens if the account is in credit?
Check the final bill first.
Make sure the final responsibility date and closing readings are correct.
Then compare:
- Total charges
- Payments made
- Credits already applied
- Final account balance
If PE still holds a credit after the account has been finalised, ask PE to confirm the balance and what is required to return it. Do not promise an automatic refund or a fixed refund timescale.
What if I am the landlord?
Responsibility for energy can change when a tenant leaves.
Do not assume an empty unit has no energy responsibility simply because little or no energy is being used.
If responsibility returns to the landlord, record:
- The date responsibility changed
- Meter readings
- Meter photographs
- Meter serial numbers
- Which unit or supply each meter serves
Keep the outgoing tenant's details where appropriate and lawfully available. If there are several units or meters, deal with each supply separately.
The premises will be empty
An empty property can still have an active electricity or gas supply.
Standing or other fixed charges may continue depending on the supply and contract position.
Do not assume zero consumption means zero bill.
Record the meter reading when the premises becomes vacant and keep evidence of who is responsible during the vacant period.
I have bought a business that already uses PE
Buying a business does not always mean you have simply inherited the existing energy contract.
The answer can depend on what has actually changed.
Check:
- The legal entity named on the PE contract
- The legal entity that will occupy the premises
- Whether you bought the company's shares or only its assets/business
- The date responsibility changed
- The MPAN or MPRN
- The meter serial number
- The current Contract Type
Share purchase or asset purchase?
These are not the same thing.
- If the shares of a limited company are sold but the same limited company continues to exist, the legal customer may still be the same company.
- If the business assets are bought by a different company or person, the legal customer may have changed.
- Energy contract consequences depend on the actual legal and contractual position.
- Do not make a false Change of Tenancy declaration simply because the owners or directors have changed.
- If you are unsure, check the legal entity named on the existing contract before submitting anything.
Do not assume that keeping the same trading name means the energy account should remain unchanged. If the legal customer has changed, tell PE.
The business is staying but the limited company is changing
If the trading business stays at the same premises but responsibility is moving from one legal entity to another, do not just change the name on the bill informally.
Tell PE what has changed and the date the new legal entity became responsible.
Take meter readings and photographs on that date.
Keep evidence of the change.
The outgoing and incoming legal entities should be treated accurately.
What if I am a sole trader or partnership?
Give PE the legal customer details that actually apply to the business.
Do not invent a limited-company name if one does not exist.
Where responsibility changes from one person, partnership or legal entity to another, keep evidence of the date and meter position just as you would for a limited company.
Moving several PE sites
Do not treat a multi-site move as one generic Change of Tenancy.
For each supply, record:
- Site address
- MPAN or MPRN where available
- Meter serial number
- Responsibility date
- Opening or closing reading
- Meter photograph
- Account number where available
- Whether the site is moving in or moving out
One incorrect site should not be allowed to confuse the evidence for the others.
There is more than one meter at the premises
Photograph and identify every meter before submitting the Change of Tenancy information.
Do not assume:
- all meters belong to your unit
- all supplies have the same responsibility date
- all meters are electricity
- all meters are on the same PE account.
Match each meter serial number to the relevant bill or supply information where possible.
Do I still need a reading if PE has a smart meter?
Yes, take your own meter evidence when responsibility changes.
A smart meter does not guarantee that every bill will use an actual reading.
A photograph from the responsibility date gives you independent evidence if the opening or closing reading is later disputed.
My first PE bill uses an estimated reading
Check whether you have an actual opening reading from the responsibility date.
If you do, compare it with the estimated reading PE has used.
Send PE:
- Your actual reading
- Date taken
- Meter photograph where available
- Meter serial number
- Every relevant register.
Do not assume a smart meter means the first bill must automatically be based on an actual reading.
Check the Contract Type after moving in
Look at the Contract Type shown on the PE bill or account.
It may indicate that the supply is:
- Fixed
- Out of Contract
- Deemed.
If you have just moved into premises PE already supplies, do not assume you are on the previous occupier's fixed prices. If you believe you have agreed a contract but the bill says something different, investigate it.
PE Contract HelpI have moved into the property as my home
PE currently has a licence restriction preventing it from supplying energy to domestic premises.
If you have genuinely moved into premises as a domestic occupier rather than as a business, do not agree a commercial business energy contract simply because PE already supplies the property.
PE says a genuine domestic occupier may initially be supplied under a commercial Deemed arrangement while changing supplier.
PE recommends moving to a domestic energy supplier.
PE's current Deemed terms say a Deemed customer does not need to give Termination Notice to complete a supplier transfer and PE will not charge a Termination Fee for that transfer.
This statement applies to the Deemed position. Do not generalise it to PE fixed-term business contracts.
Do I need a PE Change of Tenancy form?
PE may need Change of Tenancy information to update who is responsible for the supply.
The Best Energy Rates holds the PE Solutions Change of Tenancy form and can help customers understand and complete the information required.
The form itself is not currently hosted on this website.
Common moving-premises mistakes
Avoid these mistakes:
- Guessing an opening or closing reading
- Taking no meter photographs
- Assuming a smart meter removes the need for evidence
- Assuming the previous occupier's contract transfers automatically
- Ignoring the legal customer name
- Cancelling the Direct Debit instead of reporting the move
- Throwing away the lease or completion evidence
- Ignoring a first bill because the total looks roughly right
- Assuming an empty property has no fixed charges
- Submitting one set of meter details for several different supplies
- Assuming a director change automatically means a Change of Tenancy
- Using a water COT process for an electricity or gas account.
If PE has got the move wrong, build this evidence pack
Before contacting PE, gather:
- PE account number
- Business legal name
- Supply address
- MPAN or MPRN where available
- Meter serial number
- Opening or closing meter reading
- Meter photographs
- Responsibility date
- Lease or completion evidence where relevant
- Landlord confirmation where relevant
- COT correspondence
- First or final PE bill
- Contract documents if relevant
- Payment evidence if the balance is disputed.
The clearer the timeline, the easier it is to explain what needs correcting.
Build your moving-premises timeline
Explain the moving-premises problem to PE
Subject: Change of Tenancy query for [supply address] Hello, I am contacting you about the PE energy account for [supply address]. [Business name] became responsible for / stopped being responsible for the premises on [date]. The issue I need you to investigate is: [Moving in] I can provide the following evidence: [evidence] Please check the responsibility period, meter information and account details and confirm what needs to be corrected. Kind regards, [Business name]
The Best Energy Rates Desk
The most important thing when moving premises is to take photographs of the meters.
Not tomorrow. Not when the first bill arrives. On the day responsibility changes.
Get the reading, the serial number and the whole meter in the photograph.
If PE later has the wrong start date, wrong opening reading or even the wrong meter, that photograph can make the difference between guessing what happened and actually proving it.
Also check the first bill.
A Change of Tenancy problem is much easier to sort out after the first bill than after months of incorrect charges have built up.
The Best Energy Rates
Frequently asked questions
Need help with a PE moving-premises problem?
If your PE account has the wrong occupier, wrong responsibility date, wrong meter reading, previous-occupier charges or an unexpected Deemed position, The Best Energy Rates can help you work through the account and the evidence.
We can help you understand what appears to have happened, what information to collect and what needs to be raised with PE.
If The Best Energy Rates arranged your PE contract, we can also help pursue supplier issues connected with that account.