Extra support
As energy prices are volatile and bills are high, Ofgem recognises many people need extra support. It has published guidance to help advisers. You can see the latest version at .
In 2022, Ofgem issued guidance to suppliers1Ofgem, Good practice for supporting customers in payment difficulty, September 2022, available at and also sent them an open letter setting out the key regulatory expectations on suppliers when supporting customers in payment difficulty.2Ofgem, Regulatory expectations on supporting customers in payment difficulty, available at Ofgem expects suppliers to take the following actions in line with their licence obligations. •Ensure customers can easily contact their supplier and are treated fairly when they do.
•Identify customers in vulnerable situations and provide additional support where appropriate, including ensuring that Priority Services Register data is up to date.
•Make proactive contact with customers in payment difficulty through a range of communication methods.
•Always take into account a customer’s ability to pay, including before escalating the debt recovery process, giving due consideration to information provided by third parties representing them, including use of the Standard Financial Statement.
•Ensure prepayment meters are safe and reasonably practicable in every case and act quickly to change the meter to non-prepayment if necessary. Additional credit support should be offered to customers who have self-disconnected or self-rationed where it is in their best interest and/or where they are in a vulnerable situation. Involuntary-fitting a prepayment meter under warrant is always a last resort and all other routes of debt recovery should be fully exhausted before applying for a warrant.
•Debt recovery action should always be fair and proportionate, and not escalated too quickly. Ensure third-party debt collection agencies treat customers fairly.
Force-fitting prepayment meters
From 18 April 2023, a new code of practice sets out how suppliers should deal with clients when considering whether to install an involuntary prepayment meter.3Ofgem, Involuntary prepayment meter energy supplier Code of Practice, April 2023, available at This means that a prepayment meter can be installed with a warrant, or a mart meterswitched to prepayment meter mode, to recover debt owed without the client’s consent. All suppliers have signed up to this code. The code includes requires suppliers (and their contractors) to: •make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer before forced installation of a prepayment meter;
•carry out a site welfare visit before a prepayment meter is installed;
•refrain from all forced installations for the highest risk customers including:
◦households which require a continuous supply for health reasons;
◦people over 85 (where there is no other support in the property);
◦households with residents with severe health issues, including terminal illnesses or those with a medical dependency on a warm home;
◦where there is no one within the household who has the ability to top up the meter due to physical or mental incapacity;
•wear audio or body cameras on all warrant installation or site welfare visits to check for vulnerabilities (footage to be available for audit);
•give a £30 credit per meter (or equivalent non-disconnection period) on all warrant installations or remote switches as a short-term measure to remove the risk of customers going off supply;
•reassess the case once a customer has repaid debts owed and contact the customer to offer assessment of whether prepayment remains the most suitable and preferred payment method of choice for the customer.
•suppliers to refrain from involuntary installations for people aged over 75 with no support in their house and in households with children aged under two (this previously only applied to the people or households listed above);
•the voluntary code of practice which came into force in April 2023 (see above) to be made mandatory by becoming part of the suppliers’ licence conditions, which if broken could result in enforcement action and fines.