The UK power regulator Ofgem is to research suppliers forcibly switching weak prospects to prepayment meters.
Jonathan Brearley, chief govt of Ofgem, stated on Monday that the regulator didn’t have authorized powers to fully ban pressured installations of prepayment meters however it will study firms’ “checks and balances” and act in opposition to those that “don’t take due care”.
Most prospects pay for his or her energy after use however power suppliers can drive folks on to dearer pay as you go meters once they fall behind with common funds.
The quantity of people that have been moved on to prepayment tariffs has risen sharply as they grapple with hovering power payments and the cost of living crisis.
Brearley’s feedback got here after Grant Shapps, the enterprise secretary, informed suppliers over the weekend that they need to voluntarily finish the apply of switching households to prepayment metres or face being “named and shamed”.
Talking at an occasion held by the Institute of Authorities think-tank, Brearley additionally known as for a “severe evaluation” of a less expensive social tariff for low-income households, which might imply these which might be least capable of pay are charged a lower cost for his or her energy.
Present guidelines require suppliers to discover the financial help on provide or perform acceptable assessments earlier than they’ll forcibly set up prepayment meters or remotely change a family’s sensible meter to a pre-pay tariff.
However Brearley stated some folks have been being moved “with out even realizing about it”. He cited an instance of a buyer in Glasgow who “left to go on vacation and returned to seek out he’d been switched to pre-pay with out his data and had no solution to high up”.
“Though there may be good apply in lots of locations, no firm got here by [in initial investigations] while not having to enhance and all have been required to submit plans to fulfill the requirements we set,” Brearley stated.
The federal government has launched an power worth assure scheme geared toward limiting a typical family invoice to about £2,500 a 12 months till the top March, and to round £3,000 till spring 2024.
Though wholesale fuel costs have been falling, Brearley stated it was unlikely that costs would return to pre-pandemic ranges and that new approaches have been wanted in Britain’s power sector.
Shapps has written to power suppliers telling them they aren’t doing sufficient to assist weak households and must be providing credit score or debt recommendation, with pre-pay installations a final resort.
Residents Recommendation, the buyer foyer group, stated final month that 3.2mn folks throughout the UK ran out of credit score on their prepayment meter final 12 months as a result of they may not afford to high up.
One in 5 prepayment meter prospects final 12 months spent at the least 24 hours with out fuel or electrical energy, leaving them unable to show the heating on or cook dinner a sizzling meal, the group discovered.
Power UK, which represents the trade, stated: “Suppliers are already required to have exhausted all different choices earlier than putting in a prepayment meter by warrant.
“Solely after repeated unsuccessful makes an attempt to contact the client to debate reimbursement choices and provide help and after checks to make sure they don’t go forward when prospects are in essentially the most weak conditions.”
