To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has had made of the number of prepay meter users who may not be able to afford to top up their meters (a) as of 21 February 2022 and (b) as energy prices rise; what support is available for those people; and whether those people are counted as disconnected customers.
Answered on
1 March 2022
The Regulator Ofgem monitors households' experiences with the energy market, including those with prepayment meters, through their Consumer Engagement Surveys. The most recent survey, published in April 2021, suggested that 21% of prepayment meter households had temporarily been disconnected from their supply because their meter had run out of credit. This report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2021/04/consumer_survey_2020_update_on_engagement.pdf.
The Price Cap continues to ensure that 22 million households, including the 4 million who use a pre-payment meter, pay a fair price for their energy.
In addition, Ofgem’s new licence conditions rules protect Prepayment Meter customers at risk of self-disconnection and include requirements on suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all these customers and to offer additional support credit to customers in vulnerable circumstances.