Sharon Hutchinson

Good news – anyone can become a Partner. The only thing you need to join UW is a can-do spirit. And if you're sitting there thinking, 'but I know nothing about utilities!' Fear not. Ensuring that every new starter feels fully supported and confident is a big priority for us. That's why when you join we'll give you everything you need to get up and running.

If you're someone who enjoys chatting and helping people, then being a Partner will be right up your street. And if you know quite a few different groups of people (friends, family, colleagues, sports clubs, societies) then you're also already onto a winner.

Consider yourself a bit more of an introvert? Don't you worry, there are loads of Partners who have made UW a success despite not being chatterboxes. Plus, the intro training covers all the different ways you can make UW work for you, whatever your skill set.

Here's the good bit – you make money by helping people save on their household bills in Darlington. We're a full home service provider, which means that with UW you can get energy, broadband, mobile and Home Insurance and Boiler & Home Cover all rolled into one handy bill. Not only does this cut time spent doing boring admin, but also leads to very competitive rates.

As a Partner you're an independent distributor, your role is to recommend our services, helping people switch to UW. How you go about it is up to you, whether it's through informal chats over a cup of tea (our Partners' preferred method), virtually from the comfort of your home, or even reaching out to people you might not have met before.

And fear not, you'll be fully supported when you start – we'll give you all the tips, tricks and know-how to help you get off on the front foot.

There are over 60,000 Partners at UW, and each joined for a different reason – whether it's adding to their pension pot, funding passion projects, earning a bit of extra cash to spend on fun things each month.

But the best way to answer the question 'why should I join UW?' is by getting in touch with a Partner local to you and letting them do the talking.

Every time a customer you refer signs up you can earn both a Customer Bonus and a Residual Income.

The customer bonus is a payment made to you as soon as someone you refer signs up - up to £250 for every multiservice homeowner.

The other way you can earn as a partner is Residual Income. Think of this a bit like royalties: Once someone you refer signs up, you'll get a % of their monthly bill paid to you as a monthly commission for as long as they remain a UW customer.

No, we'll contact your energy provider to let them know about your move.

In a few weeks time we'll ask you for meter readings, at which point we'll start billing you for your energy, and your current supplier will stop (so that you never pay for the same energy twice). Your old supplier will then arrange to send out a final invoice to you.

Information on smart meter reading: How to get a meter reading from a smart meter?

Normally we can let your current provider know you're switching to UW, so you don't have to. But there are some scenarios where you'll have to contact your current provider:

• If you're switching to us from Virgin Media, or;
• You have an Full Fibre (FTTP) service with another provider who doesn't use the Openreach network (see below).
• If you currently don't have Full Fibre (FTTP) broadband with another provider and want to take a Full Fibre (FTTP) tariff with us.

We recommend you wait until your UW broadband is live before you cancel your old broadband service to reduce the risk of having no broadband for a period of time.

The speed available on your line can be affected by:

• How far your property is from the telephone exchange or street cabinet.
• The quality of your telephone line and internal wiring.

The actual speed you receive can be affected by:

• The processing power of your PC / devices.
• How many people are sharing your broadband connection.
• Whether you use a wireless or cable connection between your router and PC, laptop or other connected devices.
• If using a wireless connection; where you keep your router.
• The speed of websites that you visit.
• If you connect at peak times, such as evenings, weekends or major sporting events.
• Network capacity in Darlington.

Information on Broadband speeds can be found here : Full Fibre Broadband speeds

Yes, you can. But you'll need to make sure your router isn't locked by your previous provider.

When you sign up to us, we'll send you your username and password, so you connect your own router. With our superfast fibre-optic Ultra Broadband options, your router needs to be Very High-Speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) compatible. If it's not, it won't work with our broadband service.

If you need a router, we can send you one too.

Information on UW router can be found here : Whole Home Wi-Fi systems

A SIM only deal gives you data, minutes and texts for a monthly cost. The difference, however, is that you don't get a new phone – you get the SIM, and just the SIM. Pick the SIM Only Deals with simple options

• Unlimited+ Multi-SIM Deal: First SIM £23/month, Additional SIMs only £8/month
• Essential SIM Deal for just £13/month**

Of course. You can use our SIMs with any unlocked handset or, as we work with EE, any phone on the EE network too.

Click here to understand how to insert our SIM in any handset.

Yep, simply contact your previous network provider or text 'PAC' to 65075 to get a code which will allow you to bring your current number over to your new SIM. This won't disrupt your service either.

Learn more about how to keep my current mobile number?