Energy firms to ban forced prepay meter installations in homes of over-85s
Energy suppliers have agreed to a ban on forcibly installing prepayment meters in the homes of customers over 85 and will make representatives wear body cameras, the Guardian can reveal.
Suppliers have agreed to a new code of conduct in dealing with installing prepayment meters for customers who have racked up energy debt.
As a result, they will now have to make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer – and conduct a “site welfare visit” before a prepayment meter is installed.
Customers who are forced on to a prepay meter either physically or through their smart meter being remotely switched on to prepayment mode will be given £30 of credit initially to reduce the risk of them being immediately removed from supply.
The move comes in response to the winter scandal over the installation of prepayment meters under entry warrants that were being approved en masse.
The practice of forced installations was later banned after the Times reported that debt agents working for British Gas were ignoring signs that customers were vulnerable and fitting the meters, which can lead customers to be regularly cut off losing access to light and heat.
The Guardian understands that the regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem, will announce at 7am on Tuesday that all energy suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales have signed up to a code of conduct that sets out the practices they should adhere to when fitting the meters, which are designed to gradually recover debts a customer has accrued.
Suppliers have agreed not to fit meters for customers over 85 or anyone with a terminal illness. Those with health conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and sickle cell disease, which would be worsened by living in a cold home, will also be exempt from
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