Utilita

Formed in 2003, Utilita specialises in supplying customers through Pay As You Go (PAYG) smart energy meters. 

It has been installing smart prepayment meters since 2008 and now almost 90% of its customers have smart meters.

It's one of the only energy suppliers to have no standing charge, which means you won’t pay anything if you don’t use any energy.

The My Utilita app lets customers see their balance, make payments, see their energy usage and more.

It also has an online tool that automatically checks whether its customers are eligible for free or subsidised energy efficient home improvements. 

Compare energy prices using our free tool to see if you could spend less.

Utilita score 

We combine the results of our customer survey with an in-depth assessment of companies' behind-the-scenes practices and policies to give you an overall view. 

Take a look at our table below to see our score breakdown for Utilita:

Here's how Utilita's customer and policy assessments break down:

Find out how Utilita compares with other energy suppliers: see our full results of the best energy suppliers for 2025.

Utilita customer review

Utilita came eighth out of 16 energy companies rated by 11,984 members of the public in the annual Which? customer survey.

Customer ratings reflected a fair amount of satisfaction with the company. It achieved a mix of three stars and four stars for most of categories we looked at, including three for overall customer service, ease of contacting, customer communications and value for money. It received four stars for usefulness of communications about energy costs, accuracy of payments, and clear statements. 

Feedback from customers was mixed. One happy customer said: 'Not expensive, good rates. Good customer service. Friendly and helpful. Always solves problems. Good app.'

Not everyone was as happy, though. Another customer said: ''I think it's a very expensive company and they are difficult to contact when needed.'

Which? verdict on Utilita

• Pros: A good performance in our supplier assessment and great support for those who need it
• Cons: Mixed feedback and a middling result in our customer survey

Utilita supplier assessment

In September-November 2024 we looked at five aspects of suppliers' business practices and procedures: 

• Contacting your supplier – including how and when you can get in touch, and the quality of self-service help online
• How well they deal with complaints – how many complaints suppliers get and how quickly they resolve them
• Supporting customers who need it – including web accessibility, those in vulnerable situations, in financial difficulty, who use prepayment meters, and those who need materials in languages besides English 
• Switching – how easy it is for customers to switch
• Smart meter targets performance in 2023 – the most recent figures available.

We did this using a combination of the responses to a survey we sent to suppliers and our own assessments.

Utilita came joint second in our assessment with a supplier score of 73%. 

In our assessment it received the maximum 12 points for its support for vulnerable customers. It also scored nine out of 10 points for meeting its smart meter targets. Its contacting your supplier performance could be better though, with seven points out of 13.  

Utilita customer service

Utilita received a satisfactory three stars in our survey for its customer service. Only three suppliers (Octopus, Utility Warehouse, and 100Green) received the full five stars.

Utilita common complaints

In our survey, 4% of Utilita customers said they contacted their supplier to make a complaint in the past year.

Complaints were most commonly about smart meters not working correctly. More than a quarter (26%) of people who made a formal complaint told us it was about this.

Can you join Utilita with a prepayment meter?

Yes. Utilita says it specialises in supplying customers with prepayment meters, but you can also join it and pay by direct debit.

• Utilita customers can top up online or using its mobile app, as well as over the phone or at a PayPoint or Payzone outlet. 
• Customers also can transfer credit between meters using the My Utilita app
• It has opened ‘energy hubs’ in Blackburn, Derby, Gosport, the Isle of Wight, Leicester, Leith, Sheffield, Shirley and West Bromwich, where customers can top up, and get energy efficiency advice and help from staff, face to face.
• Customers with smart meters can also apply for Power Up – a top up of up to £40 for electricity and £60 for gas when you’ve run out of credit. You can apply for it when your credit goes below £2 and you then pay it back from future top-ups.

Find out whether prepayment energy is right for you.

How sustainable is Utilita?

Sustainability credentials are important when choosing an energy supplier for two thirds of those responsible for choosing their provider. That’s according to our online survey of 3,000 UK adults in August 2024.

So we factor in a range of sustainability criteria in our annual Eco Provider assessment.

Here’s how Utilita fared:

• Proportion of renewable electricity sold to customers: 0.2%
• Utilita explains that, to calculate this it uses "location-based methodology which matches our customers' half hourly consumption to half hourly local grid mix to show real emissions – anything else is greenwashing".
• Doesn't generate renewable electricity.
• Offers time-of-use tariffs for those with Economy 7, Economy 10 or other related meters. 
• Its app has a personalised carbon footprint tracker for household energy consumption.
• Offers installation of solar PV, battery storage, heat pumps and EV chargers.

Find out more about the differences between energy companies renewable electricity, and find out how we assessed energy suppliers for sustainability.

Based on information supplied by companies in August 2024 and their most recent published fuel mixes, where available.

Making your home more energy efficient will save money on your bills in the long term and lower your carbon footprint. Get started with our guides to home energy efficiency.