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Click here to view our pdf Understanding Your Utility Statement guide.

Your utility statements give you information about your utilities and how much you’ve spent.

It shows how we work out what you’ve used, what it has cost you and summarises your account.

When you have multiple utilities, your statement may be longer that’s because we provide a breakdown for each utility, as well as a summary.

Check out our example utility statement for help understanding your account:

1. Payment barcode & number: Your unique barcode and number to make payments at any PayPoint outlet.

2. Statement reference: The unique reference for this bill.

3. NaviLens Code: NaviLens is a tool for the visually impaired to make their environment more accessible. Scan this code with the NaviLens App or NaviLens Go! App to learn more.

4. Account reference: Your unique customer account reference number.

5. Online account sign-up code: Your unique code for registering your online account at mysycous.com/online.

6. Statement date: The date the bill was created.

7. Your Direct Debit Details: Details of your next Direct Debit payment. If you do not have a direct debit set up, this section will detail how much you need to pay and the due date of the payment.

8. Your balance brought forward is: The balance carried over on your account from the previous month.

9. Total payments made in this period: The amount of payments you have made in this period before your new bill was raised.

10. Payment due date: The date you are required to pay your bill.

11. Heat & Hot Water: The amount owed for the statement period for each fuel. (This is just an example, you may receive a bill for utilities other than Heat & Hot Water too)

12. Subtotal: A summary of this statement.

13. Your new balance is: The new account balance.

1. Meter Readings: The type, date and value of the readings used to calculate your consumption.

2. Charge period: The period of time your bill covers.

3. Total consumption: The total amount of utility consumption used over the period and the cost this equates to.

4. Tariff charge rate: Your current utility consumption tariff which is used to calculate the variable amount of money you owe for the billing period.

5. Daily availability charge: The total days in billing period and cost this equates to for providing the utility service to you.

6. Daily availability charge rate: Your current utility availability tariff which is used to calculate the fixed element of providing the utility service to you.

7. If you are billed for more than one utility supply, each supply will have a its own section with a cost breakdown.

Click here to view our pdf Understanding Your Annual Summary guide.

Your utility annual summary gives you information about your utilities and how much you’ve spent.

It shows how we work out what you’ve used, what it has cost you and summarises your account.

When you have multiple utilities, your annual summary may be longer that’s because we provide a breakdown for each utility, as well as a summary.

Check out our example utility annual summary for help understanding your account:

1. Payment barcode & number: Your unique barcode and number to make payments at any PayPoint outlet and to use as your account number when making telephone payments.

2. NaviLens Code: NaviLens is a tool for the visually impaired to make their environment more accessible. Scan this code with the NaviLens App or NaviLens Go! App to learn more.

3. Summary period: This is the period of time your account summary covers.

4. Total consumption: The total amount of utility consumption used over the period split by the fuel types used at your property.

5. Total payments received: The total amount of payments you have made against your account over the period.

6. Total charges: The total amount you have been charged over the period split by the fuel types used at your property.

1. Meter Readings: The type, date and value of the readings used to calculate your consumption.

2. Total units used: The total amount of utility consumption used over the period.

3. Tariff charge rate: Your current utility consumption tariff which is used to calculate the variable amount of money you owe for the billing period.

4. Total unit charge: Your total variable charge over the period.

5. Daily standing charge: Your current utility standing charge which is used to calculate the fixed element of providing the utility service to you.

6. Total standing charge: Your total fixed charge over the period.

7. Compare your energy usage to similar properties (graph): A graph showing your consumption compared to your neighbours.

The Heat Cost Calculator has been developed to help provide customers living on district or communal heat networks an indication of what it would cost to heat a similar sized property using an individual gas boiler.

The results will not be reliable for customers living on heat networks that do not have heat meters or where the right comparison is electric heating.

The calculator takes the amount of heat you use (or an estimate if you are unsure) and factors in boiler efficiency, repair and maintenance costs, and the cost to replace a boiler for the size of your property. These costs are included to best achieve a comparison to the costs that are included in your heat bill.

Visit the Heat Trust website below to use their heat trust calculator. Be sure to also read through their information sheet before using the calculator.

Click here to view the Heat Trust: Heat Cost Calculator

A unit charge is the monetary charge per unit of a utility you use, as measured by a meter.

For example, if you use 1kWh of heat then you are charged 1 x the Unit Charge; if you use 100kWh then you are charged 100 x the Unit Charge.

If you have an electricity or heat meter it normally measures in an amount of energy, displayed in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

If you have a water or gas meter it normally measures in an amount of volume known as cubic-meters or m3.

The unit charge is designed to cover the variable cost of providing you with your utility supplies and the charge is dependent on the amount you use.

Your unit charge is not set by mySycous but by your utility provider, who appoint us to administer the system. We are happy to help with any questions you might have, so please Get in Touch, and if we can't help, we're happy to put you in touch with the right person at your utility supplier.

An availability charge is a fixed amount you pay for having access to the utilities provided.

This is designed to cover all fixed costs associated with providing you access to the energy and utility supplies.

Examples of fixed costs include any fixed standing charges for fuel supply and the cost of administration. Fixed costs are usually charged in pence per day, so you will see it appear as 30 x £0.10 = £3.00 for a month with 30 days.

These costs normally do not change with the amount you use so are not included in the unit charge.

You pay your availability charge whether you use the system or not - it's to cover the cost of having the system available, not you using it.

Your availability or fixed charge is not set by mySycous but by your utility provider, who appoint us to administer the system. We are happy help with any questions you might have, so please Get in Touch, and if we can't help, we're happy to put you in touch with the right person at your utility supplier.

Your tariff is set by your utility supplier, who employ mySycous to provide a meter management and consumer charging solution. We do not set your tariff.

The tariff is normally designed to cover the cost of providing a utility supply in the fairest possible way to recover both the variable and fixed costs. We do like to support consumers and will help explain a tariff as much as possible, just Get in Touch. If we're not able to help, we're happy to put you in touch with the right person at your utility supplier.

Heat tariffs are not limited by any maximum resale regulations. However, other fair pricing mechanisms or regulations may apply.

It is normal practise for a heat and/or hot water tariff to be calculated based on the cost of any raw fuel, the cost of generating any heat and includes any distribution losses and other directly related costs.

The exact method of calculating your heat will depend on your utility supplier.

You can find out more about heat and hot water tariffs here.

No. Under the Ofwat ‘Water Resale Order’, “anybody who resells water or sewerage services must charge no more than the amount they are charged by the water company.” Click here to view more information on the Ofwat website.

This means when you are paying your cold water and sewerage to a reseller, such as on a private water network, you only pay what they pay. Your reseller is entitled to charge additional administration fees, in line with the guidance from Ofwat.

No. Under the Ofgem ‘Maximum Resale Price’, “the maximum price at which gas or electricity may be resold is the same price as that paid by the person who is reselling it, including any standing charges”. Click here to view more information on the Ofgem website.

This means when you are paying your electricity to a reseller, when on a private wire network, you only pay what they pay. Your reseller is entitled to charge additional administration fees, in line with the guidance from Ofgem.

This is normally charged on a commercial rate, which was historically lower than domestic rates but does not benefit from the Energy Price Cap and other protections set by the Government.

You can check which utilities you pay for through your In-Home Display (IHD), just check out the user manual in our Help and Support.

Alternatively, just Get in Touch and we'll happily explain.

An estimated meter reading is used when we need to generate a statement for you, but we haven't received an actual reading from your meter.

All estimates are clearly displayed on your utilities statement.

This estimate is calculated based on your previous usage, where sufficient data is available, or based on average usage across the scheme across the same period and based on similar properties, where that information is available.

You are also able to provide a manual reading, just Get in Touch with our team and we'll happily revise your current statement, or update the reading for your next statement. We also notify your utilities supplier when we regularly cannot obtain accurate readings and, with their authorisation, may contact you to undertake a replacement or repair.

To learn more watch our ‘How does a Heat Meter work?' video below: