Energy firms remotely swap homes to prepay meters

A rising number of households are having their energy smart meters remotely switched to prepayment meters, the energy regulator has said.

Kelly from South London told the BBC she suddenly found she "only had £3" left on her electricity meter until payday after being switched remotely.Once a smart meter is installed, it is a much simpler process for a supplier to swap the customer into prepay mode at the push of a button, rather than having to apply for a warrant and install a physical box.

But Rosi Avis, who heads up the Manchester Branch of Citizens Advice, said remote switching is "disconnection by the backdoor". The mother-of-two, who works part-time and receives £320 in Universal Credit per month, quickly found herself about £1,000 in debt. Then, in October, she simply got a text telling her that she was now on a prepayment plan. "I suddenly only had £3 on my electric until payday. I was so unhappy."

More than 152,000 households with smart meters were remotely switched to more expensive prepayment plans for gas or electricity last year, according to data from Ofgem. That is up sharply from 95,000 meters in 2020.The huge rise in energy prices means it is likely the trend for remote switching will continue.

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