An estimated 60,000 people in the UK have been switched over to prepayment meters in the last six months alone. Asides from being more expensive, the meters leave people in a state of constant insecurity, where their heating could be turned off if they don’t have money to top it up or aren’t able to get out of the house.
Bristol Live reported on a recent case where a mother-of-three whose youngest child is just one had her smart meter remotely switched into a prepayment meter by OVO energy. Mirna Mestrovic who lives in Easton and was struggling to pay for energy after her bill shot up and said that the move had pushed her over the edge.
Previously energy companies would need to obtain a court warrant to enforce a prepayment meter upon a customer who was struggling to pay their bills. Smart meters allow companies to bypass such regulations and Ofgem has noted that more needs to be done to take into account the vulnerability of a customer who is in energy debt.
