The incoming ban on the forced instalment of prepayment meters in the homes of those over 85 is being slammed.
Forced installations should also not take place in homes of people with severe health issues - including terminal illness - and for those 85 and over who don't have someone to care for them, according to new rules by Ofgem. But Manchester Evening News readers have criticised the energy regulator for not going further in its guidelines for energy firms.
Prepayment meters are installed when a customer is in debt and are 'pay-as-you-go', meaning power is cut off if no payment is made. The meters have been in the spotlight after some energy suppliers, including British Gas, were caught breaking into the homes of people struggling to pay their bills to forcibly install them.
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Ofgem said suppliers have signed up to a new code of practice which will also see them give customers more chances to clear debts. The tougher rules also mean that energy suppliers and their contractors must make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer and carry out a site welfare visit before a a pre-payment meter can be installed.
Readers and activists alike have hit back at the new rules, highlighting that there are some vulnerable groups left out of the new code of practice. Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “This voluntary code of practice is a much-needed improvement in the protections people have against the forced installation of a prepayment meter by energy companies.
“It’s now up to suppliers to follow the rules and for Ofgem to crack down quickly on any sign of bad practice.
“The regulator must also act swiftly to make this voluntary code mandatory.”
M.E.N. readers took to social media to voice their concerns. Kellie Yeomans commented: "Why 85? Why is it ok to do it an 80-year-old or a 75-year-old in the depths of a winter freeze?
"Very strange. Banned it, but if you're 84 it doesn’t matter apparently."
Candace Purvis gave another view, saying: "I don’t mind my pre pay meter. We know what we’re using rather than a big bill. We had a boiler engineer out recently and he told us to turn the heating dial down a notch to save money and it’s worked."
Fiona Louise said: "85!!!! Stop the world I want to get off. How many people does this actually help?"
Facebook commenter Dave Prodrick added: "Good start but not enough and at the moment it’s still only a voluntary code that the energy suppliers have signed up to."
But the critics have continued on social media. "So if you’re 84 it’s ok?" said Facebook user Beverley Walker. Elaine Salt said: "It should be banned for everyone, it's not acceptable for anyone to be forced to have a prepaid meter."
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, is another activist railing against the new rules. He said: “This code of practice simply does not go far enough and the fact it is voluntary undermines its objective.
“There are really vulnerable groups which have been omitted from its full protection and we have serious concerns about how it will be implemented, such as how people will prove their medical conditions without being humiliated by an energy firm health inspection.”
In February, an investigation by The Times revealed how vulnerable customers – including disabled and mentally ill people – were being forced by British Gas on to the pay-as-you-go meters or having their gas switched off.
Firms were temporarily banned from installing prepayment energy meters under warrant.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: “Ofgem’s new voluntary code of practice is a minimum standard that clearly sets out steps all suppliers must take before moving to a PPM.
“If and when involuntary PPMs are used, it must be as a last resort, and customers in vulnerable situations will be given the extra care and consideration they deserve, over and above the rules already in place, by suppliers – something that has clearly not always been happening.”
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