Compulsory installations of pre-payment meters should be banned because of the impact they have on struggling families, Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner has said. Bruce Adamson is urging the regulator Ofgem to take a tougher line with energy companies.
Mr Adamson said energy suppliers also need to do more to identify vulnerable households and provide them with support. In a letter to the regulator, the commissioner said pre-payment meters put needy families at severe risk of being disconnected.
Ofgem’s recent market compliance review identified weaknesses in energy companies’ practices, including failing to identify vulnerabilities before pre-payment meters are installed. Mr Adamson wrote: “I welcome the compliance review, and your intervention on pre-payment meters, but in light of the escalating risk to children’s rights to life, health and development, I do not think they go far enough.
“Nor do I think it is sufficient to address these matters at the level of individual cases or even suppliers. Ofgem needs to take a more active regulatory approach, rather than a watching brief.”
Ending his letter, the commissioner urged Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley to amend the threshold for the priority services register from children under five to under 18.
An Ofgem spokesman said: “Protecting consumers is our top priority and, as part of our role, we have banned installations entirely for the most vulnerable customers. This includes, for example, prohibiting charges for people in severe financial difficulty and banning installations entirely for people for whom the experience would be severely traumatic, such as those with severe mental health issues.
“We assess all forms of intelligence provided to us around how suppliers treat customers on prepayment meters and will continue to take enforcement action where it is needed.” The spokesman confirmed they had received the letter from Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner and said it would respond to Mr Adamson within 14 days.
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