How to use AI to understand and cut your energy bills this winter (UK)
The clocks have gone back, the evenings are dark and the heating is going on. If your energy bill is a mystery – what's a standing charge? why is it estimated? why has the direct debit gone up? – a free AI chatbot can explain it in plain English in a few minutes. This guide gives you copy-and-paste prompts to understand your bill, plan a heating routine, challenge a wrong bill, and find out where to get help, plus what to keep private and the scams to watch for this winter.
Last checked: . Prices and free allowances change often – check the provider's own site before paying.
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What AI can (and can't) do with your energy bill
- It can explain energy jargon, walk you through how your bill is worked out, help you spot an estimated reading, compare this bill with your last one, suggest ways to use less energy, plan a heating routine, and draft a polite message or complaint to your supplier.
- It can't see your account, know today's prices or the current price cap, tell you which tariff is cheapest for you, or decide whether you qualify for help. It can also get sums wrong – so check every total with a calculator.
- It isn't an energy adviser. For switching, debt or help schemes, use the official sources further down this page.
Think of it as a patient friend who is good at explaining things: AI explains, you check with your supplier or an official website before you act.
Which free chatbot to use
Any of the big free chatbots will do. Pick the one you already use:
- ChatGPT – a good all-rounder on the web and in the free app. New to it? See our beginner's guide to ChatGPT.
- Microsoft Copilot – free, and handy if you keep your readings in Excel.
- Google Gemini – free with a Google account, and handy if you use Google Sheets.
- Claude – free tier, good at calm, clear explanations.
You don't need a paid plan or a special “AI energy app”. Explaining a bill fits easily within the free versions. Wondering whether paying is ever worth it? See our free vs paid guide.
Keep your account details private
A chatbot only needs the numbers on your bill, not who you are. Never type or upload:
- Your name, address or postcode.
- Your energy account number, customer reference, or meter serial number (MPAN or MPRN).
- Bank details, card numbers, sort codes, or your supplier app password or sign-in codes.
- A photo of the whole bill – it shows your name, address and account details.
Tip: copy just the figures you need into the chatbot – dates, readings, kWh, unit rate, standing charge and totals. If you'd rather use a photo, cover or crop out your name, address and account numbers first, and check the picture before you upload it.
Many chatbots let you switch off using your chats to train their AI in the settings. More tips in our AI safety guide.
Energy bill words in plain English
- kWh (kilowatt hour): the unit your energy is measured in. Using a 1 kW heater for one hour uses 1 kWh.
- Unit rate: what you pay for each kWh, usually shown in pence.
- Standing charge: a fixed amount per day for being connected, even if you use nothing.
- Estimated reading: a guess by your supplier, often marked E. Actual or customer readings (often A or C) come from your meter.
- Tariff: your price plan – for example a standard variable tariff, or a fixed tariff that sets your prices for a period.
- Credit or debit balance: in credit means you've paid more than you've used; in debit means you owe money.
- Direct debit review: your supplier checking whether your regular payment is too high or too low for your usage.
- Economy 7: a tariff with cheaper electricity for 7 hours at night. Ask your supplier when your cheaper hours are – some meters don't change when the clocks do.
The energy price cap: in England, Scotland and Wales, Ofgem caps the unit rate and standing charge on standard variable tariffs – not your total bill. It changes every three months, so check the current figures on Ofgem's website, not with a chatbot. It doesn't apply in Northern Ireland.
The main prompt: explain my bill
Copy this, fill in the [brackets] from your bill and send:
“Explain my UK [electricity / gas] bill in plain British English, as if I've never read one before. The bill covers [date] to [date]. The start reading was [number] ([estimated / actual]) and the end reading was [number] ([estimated / actual]). It says I used [number] kWh. The unit rate is [number]p per kWh and the standing charge is [number]p per day. The total for this period is £[amount] and my balance is £[amount] [in credit / in debit]. Please tell me: 1) what each of these figures means; 2) how the total is worked out, step by step; 3) whether any readings are estimated and what I should do about it; 4) any questions I should ask my supplier. Show your working so I can check the sums with a calculator. Don't guess any prices – only use the figures I've given you.”
Then keep going: “Why is this bill higher than my last one, which was £[amount] for [number] kWh?” or “Explain the standing charge again more simply.”
AI can get sums wrong. Check the totals with a calculator – roughly, kWh used × unit rate, plus days × standing charge, plus VAT if it isn't already included. If your answer and the bill are far apart, ask your supplier to explain.
More copy-and-paste prompts
- Is my bill estimated? “My bill shows these readings with these letters next to them: [paste readings and letters]. Which are estimated and which are actual? What should I do if they're estimated?”
- Track my usage: “Here are my meter readings for the last few months: [date – reading, date – reading…]. Work out how many units I used each month, and put it in a table. Show your working.” Then check the subtractions yourself.
- What does an appliance cost to run? “My [tumble dryer / electric heater / slow cooker] is [number] watts and I use it about [number] hours a week. My unit rate is [number]p per kWh. Show me how to work out what it costs a week and a month, step by step, so I can check it on a calculator.”
- Direct debit gone up: “My supplier wants to raise my direct debit from £[amount] to £[amount]. My balance is £[amount] [in credit / in debit] and I use about [number] kWh a year. Explain the questions I should ask before I agree, and draft a short, polite message asking how they worked it out.”
- Prepayment meter: “I have a prepayment meter. Explain in plain English what emergency credit and friendly credit are, how the standing charge is taken, and what I should do if I'm struggling to top up.”
- Before you switch: “Explain the difference between a fixed and a variable energy tariff, and the questions to ask before I switch, such as exit fees. Don't recommend a supplier or quote prices.”
Plan a warmer, cheaper heating routine
Now that the clocks have gone back, it's a good time to check your heating timer and thermostat – and to plan when the heating actually needs to be on. Tell the chatbot about your home and your days:
“Help me plan a heating routine for this winter. I live in a [2-bedroom terraced house / flat] in the UK with [gas central heating / electric storage heaters / a heat pump]. [Two adults work 9 to 5; a baby is at home in the day / I'm retired and at home most of the day.] The rooms we use most are [living room and kitchen]. Suggest when the heating should come on and go off on weekdays and weekends, which rooms to keep warmest, and 10 free or cheap ways to keep the heat in, like closing curtains at dusk and stopping draughts. Explain how to use my thermostat, timer and radiator valves in plain English. Don't suggest anything that would make the home unsafely cold.”
- Stay warm enough. The NHS advises heating your home to at least 18°C in the rooms you use, especially if you're over 65, have a health condition or have a baby at home. Saving money should never mean being dangerously cold.
- Check the clocks. Make sure the clock on your heating timer and any storage heaters changed when the clocks went back on 25 October.
- Free, trusted tips: the Energy Saving Trust has free advice on saving energy at home. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland gives free advice on 0808 808 2282.
- Damp and mould: keep some ventilation, especially in kitchens and bathrooms, and tell your landlord about damp or mould if you rent.
- Plan the cost. Winter bills are higher – our guide to making a household budget with AI helps you see what's left once energy is paid.
Wrong bill or estimated reading? Challenge it
If your bill looks wrong, act quickly. First, take a meter reading and a dated photo of your meter. Then ask the chatbot to help you write to your supplier:
“Draft a short, polite message to my energy supplier. My [gas / electricity] bill for [dates] is £[amount] and is based on an estimated reading of [number]. My actual meter reading on [date] was [number], and I have a dated photo. Ask them to re-bill me using my actual reading, confirm the corrected balance in writing, and check whether my direct debit should change. Use [MY NAME], [MY ADDRESS] and [ACCOUNT NUMBER] as placeholders – I'll fill them in myself. Don't quote any laws or invent any facts.”
- Send it through your supplier's own app, website or phone line, and keep a note of dates, names and reference numbers.
- Not sorted? Ask for it to be treated as a formal complaint. If it still isn't fixed after 8 weeks, or the supplier sends a “deadlock letter”, you can usually take it to the free Energy Ombudsman. Check the rules on its website.
- Old bills: Ofgem has a “back-billing” rule that usually stops suppliers charging you for energy used more than 12 months ago if they didn't bill you correctly. Ask Citizens Advice if you're unsure whether it applies.
Our step-by-step guide to writing a complaint letter with AI has more prompts and UK escalation routes.
Struggling to pay? Where to get help
Contact your supplier as early as you can – before the debt builds up. Suppliers should work with you to agree a payment plan you can afford. Ask the chatbot to help you prepare:
“I'm struggling to pay my energy bills. Help me write a short, polite message to my supplier explaining that I can afford about £[amount] a month towards my bill and debt, and asking what payment plans, hardship funds or other support they offer. Use placeholders for my personal details.”
- Your supplier: ask about payment plans, its hardship fund or grants, and joining the Priority Services Register – free extra help if you're over pension age, disabled, have a long-term health condition, have young children or need extra support.
- Warm Home Discount: a yearly discount on your electricity bill for some people on certain means-tested benefits. Most people who qualify get it automatically. Check who can get it on GOV.UK (search “Warm Home Discount”) – you never need to pay anyone to apply.
- Other help: GOV.UK lists ways to get help with energy bills and to make your home more energy efficient. Schemes and rules change, so check the official website.
- Free advice: the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133, England and Wales) can help with energy problems, and Home Energy Scotland (0808 808 2282) can help in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact the Consumer Council.
- Benefits check: GOV.UK lists free, anonymous benefits calculators – you might be missing help that also unlocks energy support. Our budgeting guide lists free UK money and debt advice.
- Got a letter you don't understand? See our guide to understanding official letters with AI.
Rules, dates and amounts change, so check the official website before you apply.
Thinking of switching? Use official sources
A chatbot can't tell you today's cheapest tariff – its information may be out of date and it can make up prices. Instead:
- Use an energy comparison website that is accredited by Ofgem under its Confidence Code. Look for the Confidence Code logo, and check the list of accredited sites on Ofgem's website.
- Check your current tariff's end date and any exit fees on your bill or supplier app before you switch.
- Ask the chatbot to explain anything you don't understand in a quote – but type the figures in yourself, and don't share your account details.
Watch out for energy scams this winter
Every winter, criminals pretend to be energy suppliers, Ofgem or the government – and AI makes their messages look more convincing. Warning signs:
- A text or email about an energy rebate, refund, grant or discount that asks you to click a link or “apply now”.
- Requests for your bank or card details to “receive” a payment.
- Cold calls or doorstep visits offering grants, free insulation or a new boiler, especially if they push you to decide today.
- Pressure, threats that your energy will be cut off, or anyone asking for a one-time passcode.
Check it yourself: contact your supplier using the number on your bill or its official app, and look up schemes on GOV.UK or Ofgem's website. Don't use links or phone numbers in the message. Genuine help like the Warm Home Discount doesn't ask you to pay a fee.
- Forward scam texts free to 7726, and suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Report fraud to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk, 0300 123 2040) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 101.
- If you've given out bank or card details, call your bank straight away – you can dial 159 to reach many UK banks safely.
A chatbot can point out warning signs, but it can't confirm a message is genuine. More in our AI safety guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT explain my energy bill?
Yes. The free versions of ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and Claude can explain the parts of a gas or electricity bill in plain English: the unit rate, the standing charge, kWh, whether a reading was estimated or actual, and why your balance has gone up or down. Type in just the figures – never your account number, address or bank details – and check any sums with a calculator.
What is the difference between the unit rate and the standing charge?
The unit rate is what you pay for each unit of energy you use, measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). The standing charge is a fixed daily amount you pay for being connected, even on days you use nothing. Your bill is roughly: units used × unit rate, plus number of days × standing charge, plus VAT if it isn't already included. Check your bill to see how your supplier shows it.
What is the energy price cap?
In England, Scotland and Wales, Ofgem sets a cap on the unit rates and standing charges suppliers can charge on standard variable (default) tariffs. It is not a cap on your total bill – the more you use, the more you pay. The cap changes every three months, so check the current figures on Ofgem's website rather than asking a chatbot. It doesn't apply in Northern Ireland.
How do I know if my bill uses an estimated reading?
Your bill should say whether each reading is estimated (often marked E) or actual (often marked A or C for customer reading). If it's estimated, take a meter reading yourself, take a dated photo of the meter, and give it to your supplier through its app, website or phone line so it can re-bill you.
Can I get help with my energy bills this winter?
Possibly. Contact your supplier first if you're struggling – they should work with you on a payment plan you can afford, and many have hardship funds. Check the Warm Home Discount and other schemes on GOV.UK and Ofgem, and get free advice from Citizens Advice, or Home Energy Scotland in Scotland. Rules change, so always check the official website.
Is a text about an energy rebate or grant real?
Be very careful. Scammers send fake texts and emails about energy rebates, refunds and grants, with links that steal your bank details. Don't click the link. Check with your supplier or on GOV.UK using contact details you've found yourself, and forward scam texts free to 7726.