All About Smart Meters
A smart meter measures both when and how much electricity you use, and sends the data to your retailer wirelessly.
Real People, Real Savings
Complaints & objections
The awkward questions
Not every review is five stars, and our ratings above say so. These are the things people actually complain about or worry about before they subscribe, answered straight.
“Is it hard to cancel?”
Bill Hero is an annual subscription to a monitoring service — it isn't a contract with an energy retailer. Cancelling Bill Hero doesn't touch your energy account, your supply or your current plan, and there are no exit fees for leaving us.
If we can't find annualised savings above your Savings Guarantee amount on your first bill, you can cancel immediately for a full refund. To cancel at any other time, email [email protected] or raise it through the Help & FAQ site. If cancelling has ever taken longer than it should have for you, tell us — that's a complaint worth acting on, not arguing with.
“What does it really cost?”
$49 a year for electricity, or $79 a year for electricity and gas. The price and the Savings Guarantee amount your subscription is measured against are both shown before you pay.
Bill Hero does not seek or accept commissions, kickbacks or inducements from energy retailers in any form. That's the whole reason we charge a subscription: you pay us, so we work for you, and no retailer can pay to be ranked higher in your results. The full arrangement is set out in our Terms.
“I've never heard of these retailers.”
Fair. We compare every bill against every plan from every retailer in your area, and the cheapest plan often belongs to a smaller retailer that doesn't advertise on television.
Being small isn't the same as being risky. Every retailer we show is licensed to sell energy, is bound by the same rules and the same energy ombudsman scheme as the big brands, and if a retailer ever fails, the regulator's retailer-of-last-resort process moves customers across automatically — supply doesn't stop. Switching changes who bills you and nothing else: same poles, same wires, same meter, same electricity.
You choose the plan and the retailer from the ranked list we send you, and you set your own “Bothered Threshold” so we only act when the saving is big enough to be worth it. If you'd rather stay with a brand you recognise, that's your call — we'll still show you what that choice is costing you. More on the process in how it works.
“You want my bill — what happens to my data?”
Your bill carries personal information, so this is a reasonable thing to ask before you hand it over. We read your bill to get your actual usage and tariffs, so the comparison is built on what you really consumed rather than an estimate.
Bill Hero is funded by subscription fees. We don't take retailer commissions and we don't sell or on-sell your details. When you choose to switch, we pass your chosen retailer the information they need to open your account — from that point their privacy policy applies as well as ours. The detail is in our Privacy Policy and Terms.
“What does the Savings Guarantee actually guarantee?”
If we can't find annualised savings greater than the Savings Guarantee amount on your first uploaded bill, you can cancel immediately for a full refund. The guaranteed amount is displayed at the point of purchase, before you pay.
What it doesn't do is promise a particular dollar figure will land in your pocket. The saving we find is what the market offers for your usage at that moment, and it only becomes real money if you switch. It's assessed on your first bill comparison, which is why we ask for a recent bill up front. Full detail on the Savings Guarantee page.