New prepayment meter rules must be properly enforced, says Grant Shapps
The energy secretary, Grant Shapps, has urged Ofgem to turn words “into action” to ensure new industry rules designed to protect vulnerable people from being forced on to prepayment meters are properly enforced.
The Guardian revealed on Monday that all energy suppliers in Great Britain had signed up to a code of conduct banning them from putting the meters in the homes of people aged over 85 and those with severe health conditions.
Suppliers have agreed to new guidelines for installing the devices when households have run up energy debt after an outcry over agents using court-approved entry warrants to break in to install them.
Energy firms will now have to make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer and conduct a “site welfare visit” before a meter is installed.
Ofgem confirmed the move on Tuesday morning and said that it will begin a consultation on whether to put the elements of the code into suppliers’ licence conditions.
The government and Ofgem have faced months of criticism from activists and opposition MPs for allowing forced installations under entry warrants that were being approved en masse during an energy and cost of living crisis which left an estimated 3.2 million people in cold and dark homes last year as they ran out of credit.
Shapps said: “This code of practice is a step in the right direction, with better protections for vulnerable households, increased scrutiny of supplier practices and redress measures that I have called for.
“I now want to see these words put into action as we have unfortunately learned that codes and rules alone are insufficient if they are not adhered to and enforced.
“Ofgem must make sure these commitments match what is happening on the ground and let this be a warning to suppliers
Read more on theguardian.com
