The extent of the UK energy debt crisis has been revealed as half a million warrants have been granted allowing energy firms to forcibly install pre-payment meters since lockdown ended. 🔴Read the exclusive investigation by deankirby_ here.
Court warrants are used by energy companies to forcibly install pre-payment meters when people are heavily in debt on their bills. They can also reportedly remotely switch smart meters to pre-payment without needing a warrant to access a property.
Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy for Citizens Advice, said: “Switching people onto pre-payment meters when they fall into debt is disconnection by the backdoor. Hundreds of thousands could be left in cold, dark homes this winter if they can’t afford to top up.” “Suppliers’ obligations are clear. Out standards of conduct contain enforceable overarching principles that suppliers must treat all domestic consumers fairly and that suppliers need to make extra effort to identify and respond to the needs of their customers in vulnerable situations.
“There are difficult decisions around indebted customers as suppliers are also required to try to prevent them falling further into arrears and given that any increase in bad debt will ultimately have to be recouped from customers’ bills.”Around 4.5 million customers use pre-payment energy meters, also known as PPMs. They include people on the lowest incomes and benefits, disabled people, the elderly and people in rented properties.
The meters can also be used by energy suppliers to collect debt, with an amount owed deducted from each top up and leaving people with less money to spend on their current energy needs.Debt agents acting on behalf of energy companies are able to apply for a warrant to forcibly enter the home of a person in debt on their energy bill to install a pre-payment meter. The warrants are signed off by magistrates.
As the cost of energy increases, customers on a pre-payment meter will find it harder to pay their bills and can face an impossible choice of getting deeper into debt or not topping up their meter.
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