It should have been possible to spot the tension a mile off. A combination of rising bills and falling real incomes would inevitably create pressure at the point in the energy system where affordability is most acute – prepayment meters.
So it has proved. The statistics last week from Citizens Advice, the statutory consumer body in the energy market, were stark. About 3.2 million people last year ran out of credit on their prepayment meter at some point because they couldn’t afford to top up. In the energy industry’s awkward euphemism, they “self-disconnected”. For most, it was not a one-off: 2 million people are being temporarily disconnected more than once a month.
