Utility
Warehouse
Everything You Need to Know
Utility Warehouse, also known as UW, is the trading name of Telecom Plus. UW is the UK’s only genuine multiservice utility provider - offering customers energy, broadband, mobile and insurance - and is fully regulated by Ofgem, Ofcom and the Financial Conduct Authority.
UW currently has over 800,000 customers who use one or more of their services. As a multiservice provider, UW takes all the services a customer signs up to and collates them into a single monthly bill.
By showing customers they are better off by bundling, UW is able to help customers save money and time, as they remove the hassle of dealing with multiple accounts, countless passwords and communication from different utility providers.
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How did it all begin?
UW’s parent company was founded in 1996, operating from a pub in Henley-on-Thames. Telecom Plus would go on to be listed on the London Stock Exchange, and become a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index – making it a genuine British success story.
Telecom Plus launched its flagship product in 1997 – the Smart Box. This device plugged into phone sockets to route calls to networks at a cheaper rate than British Telecom. Utility Warehouse was then founded a little later in 2002 to cover its energy, broadband and telephony services.
Telecom Plus and UW’s Co-CEOs are Andrew Lindsay – who also happens to be an Olympic gold medal-winning rower - and Stuart Burnett, the company’s former COO. Andrew joined the company in 2007 and was appointed to the Board in 2008. Stuart joined the company in 2016 and was made COO in 2019. UW’s Executive Chairman is The Hon. Charles Wigoder, who joined the company early on in 1998.
What services do they provide?
Utility Warehouse currently offers energy, broadband, mobile phone and insurance services.
Energy
UW continues to offer variable energy tariffs that are guaranteed to be lower than the Government's energy price cap. This applies to both new and existing customers as long as they have a credit meter and choose to pay by Direct Debit.
As well as providing gas and electricity, UW offers their customers free smart meter upgrades. These allow customers who pay monthly to benefit from automated meter readings, ensuring they will always get accurate bills.
For customers who pay for energy upfront (in prepayment mode), smart meters let them set budgets and spending alerts, and top up their funds from anywhere using an online portal or via the UW app.
A free smart meter display is also provided for both types of energy customer, which allows customers to see their energy usage in near-real time, so they can take steps to save energy and money.
Customers can also order and get a new energy efficient boiler installed and the customers have the choice of two A-rated award-winning boiler brands, Vaillant and Worcester Bosch.
Utility Warehouse energy services >
Broadband and landline
UW customers get access to the fastest broadband speeds that are available to their homes – from fibre, which is three times faster than standard broadband, to Full Fibre, which is the latest in broadband technology. This is also known as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).
'Regular' fibre broadband works by using fibre optic cables to transfer data from the exchange to the green cabinets on the street, and then uses copper wires to carry this data the rest of the way to the customers' homes. This makes it up to three times faster than 'copper-only' standard broadband. But because it still partially relies on the old copper network, it's still susceptible to faults.
On the other hand, Full Fibre is super fast and very reliable because it only uses fibre optic cables. These cables run from the exchange to the green cabinets on the street, and then to the customers' homes – giving up to forty-five times faster speeds than standard broadband.
If a customer doesn't have fibre in their area just yet, UW still has a standard broadband offering, which is a fully copper wire connection and is just right for light browsing and emails.
While not every household is Full Fibre-compatible just yet, more and more areas are being upgraded every day, backed by the government’s ‘Build Back Better’ campaign to boost the UK’s infrastructure.
All UW broadband packages now come with the UW Wi-Fi Hub free of charge. Customers can add Whole Home Wi-Fi with Amazon eero for £5 a month, which creates a mesh network to give you fast and reliable Wi-Fi signal in every part of the home.
Utility Warehouse broadband and landline services >
Mobile
Utility Warehouse offers both mobile phone contracts and SIM-only plans. Customers can use their own phones with a UW SIM as long as their phone is unlocked, and can have their existing number transferred to their new SIM too. Currently, over 250,000 people across the UK take their mobile service with UW.
There are currently two mobile SIM plans to choose from: Value – which costs £12 a month for 5GB of data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts; and Unlimited – which costs £18 a month for the first SIM for unlimited data, texts and minutes. Customers who take an Unlimited SIM can take up to three additional Unlimited SIMs for a further £12 each per month, which is ideal for families.
Utility Warehouse mobile services >
Insurance
UW offers a range of insurance products that suit the needs of homeowners and renters alike when looking to safeguard the things that matter most. From Home Insurance to Boiler & Home Cover, UW customers can be sure that they're covered when the unexpected happens.
Home Insurance works a little differently at UW. At the very start of the policy and every year at renewal, UW consults with a panel of insurers, getting them to quote their best price for the same cover year on year. In other words, Utility Warehouse does the shopping around so their customers don't have to.
Their Boiler & Home Cover offers customers with a free annual service as standard as well as nationwide, unlimited call-outs and access to a 24/7 claims team. Plus, if the boiler is considered beyond repair, customers can get a full replacement if the boiler is less than 7 years old or a financial contribution towards a new one, if it’s older than 7. In addition to taking care of all boiler needs, Boiler & Home Cover can also help in the case of any plumbing and drainage problems, electrical outages, emergency roofing issues and even helping to get rid of unwanted pests.
The latest addition to the UW range of insurance is their Bill Protector and Income Protector products, designed to help keep customers on top of their finances when there's been an unexpected loss of income. Bill Protector helps to safeguard their UW bill and keep the lights on when the customer is unable to work through no fault of their own. While Income Protector offers more assistance to cover such essentials as mortgage and other living expenses.
Utility Warehouse insurance services >
How can customers save money with Utility Warehouse?
With UW customers are better off by bundling their services. Customers can select the services they want and unlock some great benefits.
Benefits available include up to 5% off the government energy price cap, 10% off broadband and £50 free Cashback Card credit. The benefits a customer is eligible for depends on the bundle of services taken and the eligibility criteria that they need to meet. More details about each benefit and terms can be found on their website.
Customers can save even more on their bills with the UW Cashback Card. With it, they can earn up to 10% cashback when they use their card with the program’s participating retailers, but can also earn 1% on all other spend if they take all services from UW. Each month the total amount of cashback earned is then applied as a credit to the customers' UW bill. With over 300,000 cardholders already, the savings are really stacking up.
With the Unlimited mobile SIM plan, customers can add up to three additional Unlimited SIMs at a reduced price. Here’s how it works: the first SIM costs £18 a month and extra SIMs are just £12 a month. So, for example, if a customer took four Unlimited SIMs, they would save £18 every month.
UW continues to offer energy tariffs that are guaranteed to be lower than the Government's energy price cap, to both new and existing customers. This is based on a comparison with the Government's energy price cap level for default energy tariffs, which is in turn based on payment by direct debit for typical household consumption of 2,900 kWh electricity and 12,000 kWh gas.
With a free smart meter, customers also have the opportunity to save money by having more control over their energy usage. Because they can see their energy use in near real-time, they can take steps to save energy by changing their habits, for example making sure the lights are off in a room while they’re not in it, or switching off appliances by the mains instead of leaving them in standby mode. When a new customer signs up and takes a smart meter at the same time, they could also get £50 taken off their energy bill.
Plus, UW customers are offered an exclusive 25% discount on a new A-rated boiler. They can also benefit from flexible finance options to help spread the cost and installation by a Gas Safe engineer.
Unlike most insurance providers who push customers to pay annually for their policies or incur an interest charge if they choose to pay monthly, UW adds the cost of their customer's premium to their monthly UW bill without any additional charges. This means that UW customers get a great, low annual price but split out across the year so they don't have to pay for their policy all up front.
Thanks to a partnership with Amazon, UW customers can now buy 2 eero 6 devices for £5 a month, instead of paying the usual unit price – which is over £100.
Customers then have the option to upgrade with more eeros. They also get benefits such as eero Secure for free, which usually costs £25 a year. eero Secure gives you access to parental controls for specific devices, insights into your family’s historical network usage, ad blocking to speed up browsing, and advanced security to protect your devices from cyber threats.
Who are Utility Warehouse Partners?
UW Partners are formally registered with the company to work as licensed distributors of its services. Partners make money by introducing people to UW and helping them switch services. They can also make money by building a team and recruiting other people to become Partners.
How do Utility Warehouse Partners earn money?
UW Partners earn an upfront commission every time they sign up a new customer, and an ongoing commission – known as residual income – for as long as that customer stays with UW. They also earn commission by helping other new Partners in their team sign up new customers, and residual income for as long as those team members' customers stay with UW too.
Once a Partner joins, UW provides them with ongoing training and tools, and senior Partners act as mentors too. It costs a one-time registration fee of £10 to sign up as a Partner, with a monthly licence fee of £3 starting three months after joining. Partners don’t have to buy any additional equipment or pay any other charges to run their business.
Depending how many services a customer takes, and whether they’re a homeowner or tenant, a Partner can earn up to £400 for every new customer they sign up. They can spend as much or as little time on their business as they like, making it a ‘side-hustle' or turn it into a long-term, full-time venture.
Partners have access to two major head office-supported events every year, which thousands of people attend: Power Up and Amplify. These events are a great opportunity for Partners to get together and see first-hand the latest product, service, and technology launches, while diving into training workshops and Q&A sessions to help grow their business.
Partners also organise and run their own events, from team meetings and networking, to customer lead generation events. One popular event is 'The 20K Giveaway’, which gives potential customers the chance to win £20,000 in a free prize draw while allowing Partners to introduce the benefits of UW. Whatsmore, many Partners support their local community and sustainability initiatives such as litter-picking and fundraising for charities within the UW Foundation.
Utility Warehouse green initiatives
Utility Warehouse offers all customers with 3 or more services 100% renewable electricity. It’s a small but important step towards reducing our impact on the planet.
UW buys Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin certificates (REGOs), as the majority of other suppliers providing green electricity tariffs do. These REGOs track each unit of electricity used by a customer and put an equal amount back into the grid that has been generated from renewable sources. This system is verified by Ofgem, and designed to track all the renewable electricity produced without interfering with the literal supply of electricity to customers' homes through the national electricity networks. It helps create an additional source of subsidy to renewable generators, and acts as an incentive to get more renewable generation onto the grid electricity.
In addition to giving them 100% renewable electricity, UW also plants a tree on the behalf of new customers who sign up to 3 or more services. So far, UW have planted over 117,500 trees in their woodland on Bryn Arw in the Brecon Beacons National Park, absorbing over 32,000 tonnes of CO2. This number of trees roughly covers the equivalent area of 73 Wembley pitches.
Read more about Utility Warehouse’s woodland and partnership with Stump Up For Trees >
In addition, customers with free smart meters fitted in their homes by UW are able to control their energy usage so they use less. It's a small part of leading the UK to a cleaner and more efficient energy system.
About the UW Foundation
Administered by Charities Trust (charity registration number 327489), the UW Foundation supports positive changes for the environment and local communities.
The UW Foundation funds the planting of a new tree for every customer that signs up to UW and takes all of their services. In addition to this, it supports the charity Wildlife Trust.
The UW Foundation also raises money for disadvantaged communities close to their offices in London, Bolton and Bournemouth. For every £1 raised by UW Partners and staff towards any of these causes, the UW Foundation matches it to double the overall money raised.
Support for customers with specific needs
Dedication to the Vulnerability Commitment charter
As well as offering vulnerable customers support like Warm Home discount, a special process for payment difficulties, and emergency help for customers with prepayment meters, UW is also one of the first energy suppliers signed up to Energy UK’s new Vulnerability Commitment charter, committing to further improving the services available to vulnerable customers.
Sign language service
In June 2021, Utility Warehouse teamed up with SignVideo to launch a sign language service designed to improve accessibility for customers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To use SignVideo, a customer can use a desktop or laptop computer, a smartphone or a tablet to find the SignVideo link on the ‘Contact us’ page. Once they click on the link, they’re connected to a SignVideo team member, who then calls UW directly and interprets what the UW team member is saying in sign language. This means that the customer using SignVideo will get the exact same kind of service that any other customer would get.
To protect the customers’ information, all SignVideo staff are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) during their induction to the company. SignVideo’s interpreters are also bound by the strict confidentiality processes of their respective registered interpreting bodies (NRCPD/SASLI).
Live chat
UW also has a live chat function. This allows customers who can’t use the phone to get access to customer services, and get any questions about broadband, mobile, the Cashback Card or insurance, answered.
Utility Warehouse’s awards
UW has been regularly recognised by the UK’s leading independent consumer organisations over the past 10+ years. As well as the overall company having won awards, UW’s individual services have also been given accolades – including from Which?, Uswitch and Defaqto:
2022
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Which? Best Buy Wi-fi Router
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Defaqto: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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European Contact Centre Awards: Bronze for Best Flexible Working Approach
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UK Complaint Handling Awards: Gold Award for Customers in Vulnerable Situations
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UK Complaint Handling Awards: Bronze for Most Improved Complaint Handling
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Uswitch Energy Awards Best Customer Service
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Uswitch Energy Awards Most Likely to Recommend
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Uswitch Energy Awards Best Rewards
2021
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Uswitch Energy Awards: Best Meter Reading Services
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Uswitch Energy Awards: Best Incentives/Rewards
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Defaqto: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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Moneyfacts: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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Moneyfacts: Five Star Rated Home Emergency Cover
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European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards: Bronze award for Best Flexible Working Approach
2020
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Which?: Utilities Brand of the Year
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Which?: Recommended Provider for Broadband
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Which?: Recommended Provider for Mobile
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Uswitch Energy Awards: Best Energy Saving Support
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Defaqto: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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Moneyfacts: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards: Silver in Responding in a Crisis – Supporting Customers (Utilities, Telecoms and Technology)
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CFI.co (Capital Finance International) Awards: Telecom Plus awarded Best ESG Multi-Utility Provider (UK)
2019
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Which?: Recommended Provider for Broadband
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Uswitch Energy Awards: Best Customer Service
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Uswitch Energy Awards: Best Energy Saving Support
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Moneywise Home Finance Awards: Best Value for Money
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Moneywise Home Finance Awards: Best Customer Service
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Moneywise Home Finance Awards: Best for Clarity of Bills
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Moneywise Home Finance Awards: Best Money-Saving Tips & Gadgets
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Defaqto: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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Moneyfacts: Five Star Rated Home Insurance
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Moneyfacts: Five Star Rated Home Emergency Cover
What do Utility Warehouse customers say about them?
“I'll never switch again! The Customer service at UW HQ is fantastic. When they make a mistake (which can happen from time to time) they go above and beyond for their customers. I have been a customer for a couple of years now and love the changes the company is making, making it easier and more appealing to be a customer for the future.” - Emma-Jayne Standeven
“Everything I needed at competitive prices with good customer services.” - Jennifer Walker
“Everything from joining initially to speaking to customer service when we needed help has been very easy. No issues at all with the services they provide.” - Jeanette Harrison
“I had an issue with my billing and the customer service team did an absolutely brilliant job in resolving my issue. The three customer service team members I spoke with were very kind, courteous, friendly and very helpful. I have been with Utility Warehouse for 18 months and rate their services second to none.” - John Valderaz
“Never had any cause to complain over the years l have been with Utility Warehouse. Any queries l have had have been dealt with to my satisfaction. I like having all my utilities taken care of by one company and having a paper bill although l have to pay extra for it. As a senior citizen l know where l am and what is being paid. I can cope with my utilities.” - Mrs J. A. French
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Utility Warehouse really cheaper / can you save money with Utility Warehouse?
While in many cases customers can save money by switching to UW, it also depends on their individual needs and which services they take.
Some may want the assurance of knowing exactly what their energy will cost over the next 12 months and opt for UW’s Fixed tariff, which will protect them from any future price increases, and is available to anyone who takes 3 or more services. Others may want to pay less today and choose the Variable tariff instead.
The customers who benefit from the best value prices are those that take all their home services with UW – the more services you take, the more you save. Customers can also get a 10% discount on broadband, which could save them money overall.
Similarly, while the Unlimited mobile SIM from UW for £18 a month is a great deal, it may not be the best offer for someone who doesn't use much data and only needs one SIM. But for a family of four who all want unlimited data, texts and minutes, the ability to add additional SIMs for only £12 saves money in the long run.
Is Utility Warehouse a pyramid scheme?
No. Pyramid schemes don’t focus on customers, products or services. They’re about getting people to pay to enter a scheme, who are in turn paid to recruit more people into the scheme.
UW Partners don’t earn any money from signing up other Partners, but from signing up and retaining customers.
Partners who build teams of other Partners can earn more as their teams sign up their own customers, and those customers stay with UW.
UW charges a one-off fee to become a UW Partner (£10 for customers, £50 for non-customers) and an ongoing monthly fee of £3 to cover the cost of support and training. This amounts to just over 0.1% of its overall revenues and is not a source of profit for the company. You can look at our financial results here to find out more.
Is Utility Warehouse a scam?
No. UW is a highly regarded home services provider. It is regulated by the three major regulatory bodies Ofcom, Ofgem and the Financial Conduct Authority. It provides more than 750,000 customers with award-winning home services, while providing an additional income opportunity to over 45,000 Partners.
It's been listed on the FTSE 250 for over two decades, employs almost 1,600 staff and has won numerous Which? awards including Utilities Brand of the Year two out of the last three years.
Do Utility Warehouse do mobile phones?
Yes – as well as SIM-only plans, they offer a great selection of phones.
What network is Utility Warehouse?
Utility Warehouse’ mobile offering uses EE’s network, while their broadband operates on the Openreach network.
Is Utility Warehouse a network or multi-level marketing (MLM) business?
No. While Utility Warehouse shares some similarities to those types of businesses, it also has some crucial differences.
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Similarities: Consumers refer other consumers and are rewarded for doing so The flexibility to work and earn in the way you want Distributors can benefit from building teams.
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Differences: UW Partners are recommending award-winning, essential home services that people already have, rather than hawking non-essential ‘lotions & potions’ UW Partners don’t just receive a one-off commission for signing up a customer. They can carry on earning every month for as long as that customer stays with us UW Partners can earn from day one and don’t need to buy any products up front that they then have to sell on UW Partners don’t get paid for recruiting more Partners. They and their teams only earn when they sign up new customers
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