Dear Customer,
We would like to confirm with the increasing focus on coronavirus (COVID-19 and with our commitment to maintaining the health & safety of our Customers and Employees, we have started to adapt to work changes minimising impact on the service delivery.
In response to changing UK Government advice we have triggered our robust contingency plans and as of March 18th our Commercial and Residential service delivery teams have started routinely working from home. We have thoroughly tested the communications, security and IT platforms and confirm that all services and communications should remain unaffected however it is expected that over the coming weeks we will be operating with reduced number of staff and therefore we ask for your patience and support.
As we rely on supply chains and third-party services/information to fulfil our services, we may suffer delays in being able to respond to certain situations and events. In these unusual circumstances, we ask for your understanding if requests take longer than normal to complete. We'll let you know if there are any significant changes that are likely to impact you.
We appreciate this is an anxious time, so we want to reassure you we are doing all we can to guarantee the safety of all our Customers and Employees, as well as minimise any disruption to our services. We continue to closely monitor the changing situation across the UK and will update this page and communicate with our Customers as and when it’s appropriate.
Our Commercial Customers have been contacted directly by their Account Managers and if you have any questions please contact your Account Managers directly who will be able to support you.
We ask our Heat Prepayment Customers to use our SmartPay online account and Tariff Billing Customers should use their myista online account where possible and we hope that our Frequently Asked Questions will answer any of your queries. This will help us ensure our vulnerable and prepayment customers are able to reach us.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
The ista team
Frequently Asked Questions
Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for ista Heat Customers
As a result of the current pandemic and the need to protect staff and their families it is expected that over the coming weeks we be operating with reduced numbers of staff and therefore your patience and support is requested if you have any queries.
We hope that the information below helps to solve some of these issues but if not then will do all we can to support you as best we can.
Our objective is to provide the best possible services whilst at the same time ensuring the well-being of our staff, their families and all of our customers.
Online account management
At this time the easiest way to manage your account is via the on-line tools:
- myista.co.uk (Tariff Billing Customers) – if you are a metered customer
please ensure you have a current e-mail address registered with us in order to access this facility
If you have further queries regarding your account please e-mail:
billingteam@ista-uk.com - ista-smartpay.com (Heat Prepayment Customers) – if you have a pre-payment system
- Details of how to make payments are given in the website:
https://www.ista.com/uk/software/smartpay/
- Please see below for additional Pre-payment system FAQs
Prepayment FAQs
As a pre-payment customer you will be prioritised by our customer services team, if you need support please contact the team using the following e-mail address:
At this time it is important that you monitor credit levels to ensure an adequate supply of heat and hot water. It is recommended keep your prepayment meter topped up with additional credit during this unprecedented situation, where you can afford to do so.
Illness and Self-isolation
If you need to self-isolate, you can continue to top up via the smart-pay portal online.
Alternative could you ask a friend, neighbour or family member to top up for you? We’d encourage you to ask them to top up with a little more credit than normal. This will help you manage your supply even if you can't make it to a top up outlet as regularly as you would normally.
What happens if the local shop with PayPoint facilities is closed?
We understand that some shops may need to close. However there are 28,000 PayPoint locations in the UK, please use the following link to find alternative locations:
https://consumer.paypoint.com/
Your Pre-payment system not operating
If the screen is not displaying your balance then please visit the website for details about resetting your device – please note once re-connected it may take up to 30mins for the balance to refresh:
https://www.ista.com/uk/software/smartpay/
If you have credit on your pre-payment meter but you do not have heat and hot water please contact the office via the e-mail or on the phone (note that waiting times might be extended but we will try to get to you as quickly as possible)
Difficulties in making payment
We understand that customers may be financially impacted over a period of self-isolation or due to a business closure. Please contact the office if you are unable to make payment, ideally send an e-mail to the priority mailbox:
The telephone contact number is: 01223 874946
Please note that waiting times for telephone call are likely to be extended but we will do our best to get to your enquiry quickly. We will not be taking payment over the phone due to the unavailability of the necessary data security systems for the customer services staff.
As an alternative we would also recommend contacting the National Debt Line on 0808 808 4000. They’ll be able to offer support on energy debt and offer wider financial advice.
