Boiler not working after your prepayment gas ran out? Here's how to get it going again
If you can smell gas, stop. Don't use light switches or anything that could spark. Open doors and windows, leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999 (Northern Ireland: 0800 002 001). It's free and open 24 hours.
You've run out of gas credit, topped up, and the boiler still won't come on. This happens to a lot of people, and it's rarely a broken boiler. Usually it takes two separate fixes: getting the gas flowing again at the meter, then restarting the boiler.
- Check the credit is actually showing on the meter.
- Turn off every gas appliance in the house.
- Turn the gas back on at the meter. This usually means pressing a button.
- Light a gas hob to clear air from the pipes.
- Reset the boiler, up to 2–3 times.
- Still nothing? Call your supplier's pay-as-you-go line.
Each step has important details below. Tap a step to jump to it.
Why topping up isn't always enough
When your credit runs out, the meter closes a valve and shuts off the gas. On many meters, topping up does not reopen that valve by itself. You have to press a button on the meter to turn the gas back on. That's a safety feature: if a hob or gas fire was left on when the gas cut out, gas could leak out the moment it came back.
Meanwhile, your boiler tried to light when there was no gas, failed, and locked itself out. Once the gas is back, it often needs a reset. Air can also get into the pipe, so it may take a couple of tries to light.
Step by step
1Check the credit is actually showing
- Look at the meter's screen and check your credit is there.
- Some or all of your top-up may have gone to pay back emergency credit or debt first, leaving less than you expected, or nothing.
- Make sure you topped up the gas meter, not the electricity one. It's an easy mistake when both are on the same app or card.
- If you topped up online or through an app, it can take a little while to reach the meter.
2Turn off every gas appliance
Before turning the gas back on, make sure every gas hob knob, oven and gas fire is off. Many meters won't reopen the valve, or will shut it again, if they think gas is flowing somewhere it shouldn't be.
3Turn the gas back on at the meter
Press any button to wake up the meter's screen. Look for a message like "Supply off", "Supply disabled", "Push to reconnect" or "Ready". Then follow the prompts. The buttons differ between meters. Here are two real examples:
- EDMI smart meters (used by EDF and others): press and hold OK, confirm the "supply disabled" screen, press OK, then OK again when it shows "Supply: Armed".
- Landis+Gyr G470 (used by British Gas and others): press the B button, then press and hold A until it says "Release A for gas".
Your meter may be different. The model name is usually printed on the front, and your supplier's website will have instructions for it. It can take a minute or two for the valve to open. Don't turn anything on while it's working.
Also check the lever on the pipe next to the meter. When it's in line with the pipe, the gas is on.
4Clear the air from the pipes
If you have a gas hob, light one burner and let it run for a minute or two. If it splutters at first, that's air coming through. Once it burns with a steady blue flame, the gas is back.
If the hob won't light at all, the gas probably isn't back on yet. Go back to step 3, or skip to step 6.
5Reset the boiler
Press the reset button on the boiler (or hold it for a few seconds, depending on the model) and turn on the heating or hot water. It may take two or three tries as the last bit of air clears.
You'll probably see an ignition fault code until it lights. There's a list of the common ones in our gas meter guide. If it still locks out after about three tries, stop pressing reset.
6Still nothing? Get help
- If the meter won't turn the gas back on, or shows a fault, call your supplier's pay-as-you-go or emergency line. Prepayment customers can usually get help 24 hours a day.
- If your hob works but the boiler won't light, the gas is fine and the boiler may have a separate fault. Call a Gas Safe registered engineer. You can check an engineer is registered at gassaferegister.co.uk. Never take the boiler's cover off yourself.
Struggling to top up? If you can't afford to top up, or can't get to a shop, contact your supplier. They should offer temporary credit in many situations, and many meters have "friendly credit" hours (often overnight, weekends and bank holidays) when your supply won't be cut off. Citizens Advice can also help: search "Citizens Advice prepayment meter".
Questions people ask
Does running out of gas damage the boiler?
Usually not. The boiler locks out to protect itself when it can't light. Once the gas is back and it's been reset, it should work as normal.
Why does my boiler show an ignition fault after topping up?
Either the gas isn't fully back on at the meter yet, or there's air in the pipe. Steps 3 and 4 above fix both.
How can I stop this happening again?
Many suppliers let you set up low-credit alerts on your phone or in-home display. Topping up a little before you run out also avoids the reset hassle.