Emergency Credit and Friendly Hours

Topupmeters are designed to provide a stress-free experience for tenants while minimising out-of-hours support calls. To achieve this, our smart meters have two essential features: Emergency Credit and Friendly Hours. These act as reliable buffers to prevent sudden power disconnections when a meter's balance runs low.

Emergency Credit

Emergency Credit brings the power supply back on with borrowed credit. This feature is activated by pressing the 'B' button three times directly on the meter.

• Manual Only: It’s triggered manually at the meter and typically provides a standard buffer of £3 or more.
• Repayment: Any used Emergency Credit registers as a debt on the meter and must be paid off in full with the next top-up to restore the standard supply and reset the feature for future use.

Friendly Hours

Friendly Hours prevent the meter from disconnecting during unsociable hours, like at night time or when the office is closed. If the balance drops to zero during this window, the power remains on, and the meter simply records a negative balance until a top-up is made or the window ends.

• Automated Protection: Designed specifically to minimise interruptions and reduce out-of-hours support calls.
• Standard Timeframes: The default non-disconnect window typically runs overnight from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM on weekdays, as well as throughout the weekend.
• Customisable Schedules: The active hours are flexible and can be adjusted or extended to alternative times to suit specific property requirements.

While both features temporarily expose the meter to a small, controlled amount of debt, they are invaluable property management tools. By providing a reliable buffer against immediate power loss, Emergency Credit and Friendly Hours ensure tenant comfort, prevent emergency call-outs, and ultimately make managing prepaid energy supplies much easier.

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