(updated on 5 January 2024)
There are millions of energy prepayment meters in Britain. Over three million households with prepayment meters were cut off at least once in 2022. 18% of prepayment customers were cut off for two days or more. Meanwhile, the number of people being forced to switch to prepayment because they’ve run up arrears is surging — 660,000 households in 2022. Parts of the media have bought into the energy industry’s story that prepayment meters are in some way benign, that they protect poor customers from getting into trouble. This morning, a BBC journalist on Today said:
“The introduction of prepayment meters was meant to ensure that vulnerable people could not have their gas or electricty cut off. Paying in advance would mean, it was said, they couldn’t get themselves into financial difficulties.”
- Today, BBC Radio 4, 12 January 2023
It’s a bizarre assertion. Prepayment meters don’t protect customers at all. They protect suppliers and discipline customers. Questioning an MP on BBC TV’s Newsnight programme, the presenter asked:
“What is a better way to make sure that people don’t try to buck the system?”
Newsnight, BBC Two, 2 February 2023
