British Gas resumes force-fitting prepay meters months after £112m settlement
Regulators lift block on supplier, enabling it to install meters in homes of people unable to afford energy bills British Gas has resumed force-fitting prepay meters in the homes o
By The Guardian
British Gas has resumed installing prepayment meters without customers’ consent after Ofgem lifted an almost four-year restriction on the practice.
The energy supplier restarted the installations on 26 October, according to Ofgem. Its agents can now seek warrants to fit meters in homes where customers have unpaid energy bills.
The move follows a £112m settlement agreed earlier this year over British Gas’s treatment of vulnerable prepayment-meter customers. The settlement included £20m for Ofgem’s Voluntary Redress Fund, the writing off of up to £70m in energy debt for vulnerable customers and compensation for affected households.
The regulator’s action came after British Gas completed checks intended to show that it would follow strengthened protections for customers at risk of harm.
Ofgem said involuntary prepayment-meter installations should only be used as a last resort. Suppliers must make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer and carry out a welfare visit before fitting a meter.
The rules also prohibit installations in the homes of the highest-risk customers, including households with someone aged over 75, a child under two or a person with severe health problems or medical equipment.
Ofgem said it would continue monitoring suppliers and could take enforcement action, including fines, if the rules were not followed.
British Gas said it would engage with customers early, offer targeted support and agree flexible repayment arrangements wherever possible. It said forced installations would remain a last resort.