According to government data, British Gas, Scottish Power, and Ovo Energy were responsible for the majority of forced prepayment metre installations in the United Kingdom last year.
British Gas, Scottish Power, and Ovo Energy accounted for seventy percent of the 94,000 prepayment metres that were forcibly installed throughout 2022. This news follows the revelation that debt collectors broke into the homes of vulnerable individuals to forcefully install British Gas metres.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero reported that British Gas, Scottish Power, and OVO each installed 25,000 prepayment metres under warrant.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps stated, “Today’s figures paint a clear and horrifying picture of how widespread the forced installation of prepayment metres has become, with an average of over 7,500 forced installations per month over the past year. I do not want to outright ban prepayment metres because they are appropriate for some people, but I am concerned that companies are not treating their customers fairly.
The energy regulator, Ofgem, announced earlier this month that it would extend the ban on energy companies installing forced prepayment metres, which was set to expire at the end of March. Jonathan Brearley, the head of Ofgem, stated that the ban would be lifted “if and only if” companies adhere to the regulator’s new code of conduct.
In the energy industry, the announcement that 94,000 prepayment metres will be installed in 2022 has raised grave concerns about the cost of living and personal finances. This has prompted a statement from Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps and an extension of the ban on energy companies installing forced prepayment metres by energy regulator Ofgem.
By adhering to Ofgem’s new code of practise and taking Shapps’s concerns into account, it is hoped that energy companies will be able to treat their customers fairly and ensure that they can manage their cost of living.
