Data Energy, a leading independent heat network specialist, has chosen bank payment company GoCardless and its open banking-powered Recurring Pay by Bank solution to upgrade its payments.The utility specialist will use the technology to fully automate flexible energy meter top-up payments for its customers. This shift to automated recurring billing introduces clear operational benefits for Data Energy by eliminating time-consuming manual tracking and billing administration for its team, while reducing customer churn typically caused by expired or lost bank cards. For payers, it delivers a seamless experience that removes the need for manual top-ups. It also protects them from unexpected service disruptions while keeping them in complete control of their payments.Recurring Pay by Bank runs on the new account-to-account (A2A) payment scheme launched by the UK Payments Initiative (UKPI) last week. By choosing GoCardless, Data Energy benefits from a high-performance open banking solution designed to overcome early-stage market challenges, built on 15 years of A2A expertise. Recurring Pay by Bank offers businesses a highly effective platform they can confidently use today. Key features include:Full payer coverage from day one through ‘intelligent routing’ that automatically shifts payers to Direct Debit if open banking isn’t available. A ‘bank guess’ feature: the GoCardless platform has seen 80% of UK payers over the past 15 years. This data is leveraged to auto-fill payment details and create a smoother checkout experience. Industry-leading uptime, ensuring reliable service -- a critical factor for early adopters and a common concern across the industry.Data Energy made the decision to expand into recurring open banking payments following a highly successful rollout of GoCardless’ Pay by Bank feature for one-off transactions. This initial phase achieved an 82% customer adoption rate within just weeks of going live - a figure that has since grown to over 90% - proving a strong consumer appetite for open banking payments and paving the way for automated recurring billing.Aaron Beadle, Director of IT and Technical Services at Data Energy, said: "One of our priorities has always been making life easier for our customers while reducing unnecessary administration behind the scenes. The response to Pay by Bank showed us that customers are ready for a simpler way to pay, so moving to an A2A provider and recurring payments was the obvious next step. It gives customers more control and peace of mind, while allowing our team to spend less time managing payments and more time supporting the people who rely on our service."Pat Phelan, Chief Revenue Officer at GoCardless, said: “The launch of Recurring Pay by Bank will revolutionise the energy sector. For the first time, providers can access fully automated, flexible utility billing. This offers them a reliable, low-cost way to manage fluctuating usage whilst providing a more seamless and secure payment method for their payers. We look forward to seeing how Data Energy uses Recurring Pay by Bank to build a competitive advantage as an early adopter.”NoYesPayments04 Aug, 2026