What is PrePower?
With PrePower, you pay for your electricity before you use it. It works a bit like a prepaid mobile phone. PrePower can be a great way to keep control over your electricity bill, making budgeting easier. Because you prepay for your electricity, you'll always know how much you've spent and how much electricity you have left.
Download our 
PrePower brochure (679KB) to learn more about this service, including how you buy your electricity, how to use your meter and emergency power. You'll need Adobe Reader to download this file.
How it works
We install a special PrePower meter at your house. You buy electricity either over the phone or in person at your local PostShop. When you do, you'll be given a 20 digit code which you enter into the keypad on your meter.
The meter has a display panel that shows how many units of electricity you have available to use. At any time, you can see how much electricity you're using and how much you have left.
To discuss getting a PrePower meter installed, call us on 0800 80 9000.
Who can get PrePower
PrePower meters are available in some regions for residential properties which use more than 3,000 kWh of electricity a year. To see whether your property qualifies for a PrePower meter, please call us on 0800 80 9000.
Contact strongly recommends that customers who are vulnerable, for reasons of age, health or disability, or suffer from a medical condition where they are dependent on electricity for critical medical support, should not choose a PrePower meter. We would prefer that you use a standard meter, as it provides a continuous supply of power unlike a PrePower meter which can self-disconnect if payment is not made.
It's important to note though, that customers with a medical condition who are dependent on electricity for critical medical support are eligible for PrePower.
Getting a PrePower meter installed
Call us and we'll arrange everything for you. If you are not the property owner, you must get the owner's permission to install a PrePower meter. There is a service fee for installing the meter and we'll talk to you about this when you call.
Buying electricity with PrePower
You can purchase electricity with PrePower in two ways – in person or over the phone. There is a minimum payment amount of $20 and a maximum payment amount of $200 per transaction.
Emergency power
Emergency power might help you out if you run short of electricity after business hours and you don't have a direct debit set up, a credit card or money in your Contact account. Emergency power gives you a small advance which you need to repay next time you purchase PrePower.
You can only get emergency power if you're up to date with all of your payments to Contact. Call the PrePower Purchase Line if you need to use this service.
PrePower Purchase Line services
You can call the PrePower Purchase Line on 0800 83 2222 anytime, day or night, 365 days a year. You'll be asked to enter your meter number when you call, then you'll be automatically prompted to choose the service you require. If you have any trouble using the PrePower Purchase Line, select the star key followed by 0 and you will be transferred to our Customer Care team.
The PrePower Purchase Line allows you to:
- Purchase electricity: By direct debit, credit card or using money in your Contact account.
- Repeat your last purchase code: You can select this option if you have lost your PrePower code or receipt and you need to hear the last 20-digit code you purchased.
- Get emergency power: This is a small advance that you need to repay next time you purchase PrePower.
- Check your account balance: Handy if you'd like to know the balance remaining on your PrePower account.
- Request your purchase code be sent to you by text.
PrePower special terms
Read our PrePower special terms (40KB). You'll need Adobe Reader to download this file.
