Call to ban 'forced' switch to prepayment meters

Citizens Advice has called for a prohibition connected vigor companies "forcing" customers onto prepayment meters due to the fact that they are struggling to wage bills.

The foundation estimates that 600,000 radical were enactment onto the pay-as-you-go method past year, with 160,000 much expected by the extremity of the winter.

Some person meters installed, portion others person astute meters automatically switched to prepayment mode.

Last year, regulator Ofgem wrote to suppliers astir the issue.

A authorities spokesperson said it expected vigor suppliers to bash each they tin to assistance customers who are struggling to wage their bills.

"Suppliers tin lone instal prepayment meters without consent to retrieve indebtedness arsenic a past resort," helium said.

People utilizing prepayment meters wage for their state and energy by topping up their meter, either done accounts oregon by adding recognition to a paper successful a convenience store oregon station office.

This is simply a much costly method of paying than by nonstop debit, but is sometimes the lone enactment for radical who person struggled to wage and are successful indebtedness to an vigor supplier. Many rented properties besides person prepayment meters.

Problems tin originate erstwhile residents nary longer person immoderate recognition near connected the meter, and person nary wealth to apical it up - leaving them incapable to navigator oregon vigor their homes.

Citizens Advice estimates that 3.2 cardinal radical crossed Britain ran retired of recognition connected their prepayment metre past year, the equivalent of 1 each 10 seconds. The advisory work said it saw much radical who were incapable to apical up their prepayment metre successful 2022 than successful the full of the past 10 years combined.

"The staggering emergence successful the outgo of surviving means galore simply cannot spend to vigor and powerfulness their homes to harmless levels," said Dame Clare Moriarty, main enforcement of Citizens Advice .

"New protections are needed to halt radical being afloat chopped disconnected from state and electricity. Until then, determination indispensable beryllium a full prohibition connected vigor companies forcing those already astatine breaking constituent onto prepayment meters."

Suppliers tin usage the exertion to swap customers onto the prepayment method without their permission.

Citizens Advice is calling for a prohibition connected this practice, arsenic good arsenic ruling retired vigor suppliers going into homes to acceptable prepayment meters, until much extortion is enactment successful place.

It gave the illustration of 1 of the charity's clients who said her powerfulness went disconnected conscionable earlier Christmas, and aboriginal discovered her metre had been switched to prepayment mode.

"I assumed it was a powerfulness cut. I had nary mode to marque immoderate calls, truthful my girl and I were near successful the acheronian each nighttime with nary heating, lights oregon means of making immoderate food," she told the charity.

"I explained that I was connected the precedence services register. I besides said I'm successful a wheelchair and incapable to entree my meter, but nary of it made a difference. I'm present reliant connected my sister oregon her hubby to spell to the station bureau to assistance maine apical up my meter.

"Over Christmas I went without vigor due to the fact that the recognition ran out, and the station bureau was closed, truthful my girl and I sat determination cold, successful the dark."

The foundation said it had heard different cases including erstwhile idiosyncratic incapable to apical up adjacent though their medicine needed to beryllium refrigerated, oregon a azygous genitor with a young babe near without airy oregon vigor for 48 hours due to the fact that she could not spend to enactment wealth connected the meter.

It said 1 successful 5 households including idiosyncratic who is disabled oregon semipermanent sick, which ran retired of recognition past year, went connected to walk 2 days oregon much without an vigor supply.

Ofgem stipulates that definite groups specified arsenic disabled radical and those with semipermanent wellness conditions should not beryllium forced connected to a prepayment meter.

However, Ofgem and Citizens Advice said radical could take to determination to prepayment if they wished.

A authorities spokesperson said the regulator Ofgem requires vigor suppliers to connection solutions for customers in, oregon astatine hazard of, indebtedness oregon disconnection.

"This includes offering exigency recognition to each prepayment metre customers and further enactment recognition to customers successful susceptible circumstances," helium said.

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "The staggering grade of the prepayment meters ungraded is present clear.

"A afloat prohibition connected the forced transportation of customers to prepayment meters, including via astute metre mode switching, is present the lone acceptable people of action."