How to Manage Your Household Bills in SimpliHome

The average UK household has 15–20 recurring bills. Energy, water, broadband, phones, TV, council tax, various insurance policies, streaming subscriptions, gym memberships — each with its own renewal date, account number, and provider contact.

Without a system, things slip. You miss a renewal window and end up on a pricier standard tariff. A direct debit changes and you don't notice. The car insurance lapses by a day.

SimpliHome's bills section puts every bill in one place with renewal alerts so nothing gets missed.

#What SimpliHome Tracks for Each Bill

For every bill you add, you can record:

• Provider — the company (e.g., British Gas, Sky, EDF)
• Bill type — what the bill is for (Energy, Broadband, Mobile, Insurance, etc.)
• Linked property — which house the bill belongs to (if you have multiple)
• Renewal date — when it's due to renew or expire
• Payment date — for bills with a fixed payment date
• Account reference — your account number with that provider
• Annual cost — what you pay per year (helps with budget tracking)
• Notes — anything else worth remembering
• Documents — upload invoices, statements, or policy documents

#Adding Your First Bills

Go to Bills in the main navigation.

To add a bill:

1. Click Add Bill
2. Select or search for the provider — e.g., "Octopus Energy"
3. Choose the bill type — Energy, Broadband, Mobile, etc.
4. Enter the renewal date
5. Add the account reference (found on any statement or in your provider's app)
6. Enter the annual cost if known
7. Click Save

Provider not in the list? Type the name and choose Add new provider — it will be saved for future use.

#Start With the Most Important Bills

Don't try to add everything at once. Start with the bills where a missed renewal would cause the most pain:

1. Energy supplier — switching windows can save hundreds of pounds
2. Home insurance — lapses leave you unprotected
3. Car insurance — legally required; a lapse is serious
4. Broadband/TV — often auto-renew onto expensive standard rates
5. Mobile phones — contract renewals often mean better deals elsewhere

Once these are in, add others progressively.

#Renewal Reminders

SimpliHome automatically sends email reminders before bills are due to renew. You'll get a reminder a month out, and again closer to the renewal date.

This means you have time to:

• Shop around for a better deal before auto-renewing
• Set a reminder to cancel if you no longer need the service
• Contact the provider to negotiate a retention deal

Configuring reminders: Go to Settings → Notifications to set how far in advance you want renewal alerts.

#Uploading Bill Documents

Store your invoices, statements, and policy documents directly in SimpliHome so they're always findable.

To upload a document to a bill:

1. Open the bill record
2. Click Upload Document or the documents tab
3. Select the file (PDF, image, or other format)
4. The document is attached to the bill and accessible from this screen

No more digging through email archives for last year's energy statement. Everything is attached to the relevant bill.

#Tracking Meter Readings

For energy and water bills, SimpliHome can track your meter readings over time, giving you a clear picture of consumption and helping you verify your bills are accurate.

To add a meter reading:

1. Open the bill record for your energy or water supplier
2. Click Add Meter Reading
3. Enter the current reading and the date

Over time, SimpliHome builds a history of readings that shows:

• Usage trends by month and season
• Whether your consumption is increasing or decreasing
• A record to refer back to if you switch supplier

#Automatic Provider Integrations

For some major providers, SimpliHome can sync your account data automatically — no manual meter readings needed.

Supported providers:

• Octopus Energy — usage data, tariff information, billing amounts
• Thames Water — water usage and billing
• Sky Broadband — account and billing information
• Sky Mobile — usage and billing
• BT Broadband — account information

To connect a provider:

1. Open the bill record for that provider
2. Look for the Sync or Connect Account option
3. Enter your provider account credentials
4. SimpliHome will sync your data automatically

When a provider integration is active, your usage stats update without any manual entry.

#Bill Types and Categories

Bills in SimpliHome are organised by type. Common categories include:

| Category | Examples | |----------|---------| | Energy | Gas, electricity, dual fuel | | Water | Mains water, water rates | | Communications | Broadband, TV, landline, mobile | | Insurance | Home, contents, car, life, pet | | Council Tax | Local authority charge | | Subscriptions | Streaming, software, memberships | | Other | Any bill that doesn't fit the above |

If you don't see a category that fits, any admin can create a new bill type.

#Bills Linked to Properties

If your Circle has more than one property (e.g., a family home and a holiday cottage), each bill can be linked to a specific house. This makes it easy to see all costs associated with each property separately.

When adding a bill, use the House dropdown to link it to the relevant property.

#Viewing Upcoming Renewals

The Dashboard shows bills due in the next 30 days. For a fuller picture:

1. Go to Bills
2. Sort or filter by Renewal Date to see what's coming up

Bills approaching their renewal date are typically highlighted or flagged.

#Keeping Bills Accurate

Update when you switch: If you switch energy supplier, update the bill in SimpliHome — change the provider, update the renewal date, and adjust the annual cost.

Archive rather than delete: If a bill ends permanently (you cancel a subscription), you can delete it from SimpliHome. But if it might come back (a gym membership you've paused), consider just updating it rather than removing it.

Add the annual cost: Even approximate annual costs are valuable for budget tracking. SimpliHome uses bill data in financial overviews — the more accurate your bills, the better your financial picture.

#Bills and the Financial Dashboard

For Admins, upcoming bills feed directly into the financial overview on the dashboard. This means your bills aren't just a reminder list — they're part of your household's financial picture alongside bank transactions and budgets.

Bills with annual costs also contribute to household spending projections in the budget tool.