Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to address the practice of energy companies charging for the installation of prepayment meters in cases where customers are already in debt to those energy companies.

The vast majority of suppliers offering prepayment meters as a means to repay an energy debt do not charge when consumers agree to the installation, including all of the 6 major suppliers. As of December 2015, Ofgem estimated that only 1% of consumers in debt face a charge.

Ofgem is currently consulting on the use of the warrant process used by suppliers to install prepayment meters for non-payment of energy, which includes the level of charges and how suppliers engage with consumers on energy debt. The consultation, which is available on Ofgem’s website, closes on 25 February 2016:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/proposals-improve-outcomes-prepayment-customers