London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Ofgem tells suppliers to suspend forced installation of prepayment meters

Ofgem tells suppliers to suspend forced installation of prepayment meters

The move comes as an investigation revealed debt collectors working for British Gas forced their way into the homes of vulnerable customers.
The energy regulator Ofgem has asked suppliers to suspend the forced installation of prepayment meters and review their processes for dealing with customers who have fallen into arrears.

Sky News understands the regulator made the request on Thursday after it was revealed that debt collectors working for British Gas had forced their way into the homes of vulnerable customers.

Industry sources said Ofgem had asked all suppliers to cease applications for court warrants that allow them to enter the homes of customers who have not responded to attempts to deal with arrears.

Suppliers are required to pursue all available alternatives over a six-month period before executing warrants and are not permitted to force prepayment on vulnerable customers.

Centrica, British Gas's parent company, said it had applied for about 97,000 warrants last year and acted on around 20,000 of them.

Jonathan Brearley, the CEO of Ofgem, said: "I've warned all domestic energy suppliers to get their house in order on forced installments of prepayment meters.

"I ordered our biggest-ever market review into prepayment meters to uncover poor practice - and I will not hesitate to take the strongest action in our powers where needed.

"No energy CEO can shirk their legal and moral responsibilities to protect their own customers, especially the most vulnerable. These are serious allegations for British Gas to deal with and we are opening a comprehensive investigation into British Gas on this issue and we will not hesitate to take the strongest action needed.

"It is right British Gas has apologised following the very worrying allegations in The Times, but millions of customers expect action, not warm words.

"It is astonishing for any supplier not to know about their own contractors' behaviour, especially where they are interacting with the most vulnerable in our society."

He added: "That's why I've asked all suppliers to review all activities regarding prepayment meter warrants. Suppliers need to reassure us that the processes for customers being moved onto prepayment meters are compliant with all Ofgem rules and, until this is done, we have asked them to pause forced installations.

"Many have already come forward and agreed to do this until their boards are satisfied vulnerable customers are protected. I've also asked them to look at their relationships with any third-party contractors and examine incentives that could give rise to poor and unacceptable behaviours."

The boss of Centrica said "there is no excuse" after a Times investigation showed a company used by British Gas to pursue debts, Arvato Financial Solutions, forcing their way into homes to fit the devices, despite signs children and disabled people were living there.

Chris O'Shea also said that customers do not deserve to be treated in such a way, and that he would not "justify it" - adding that he is launching an independent investigation.

"I am really, really sorry," he added, talking to Sky News' business presenter, Ian King.

"We've clearly got it wrong here and we are going to fix that."

After Centrica announced it was suspending all forced installations, EDF said it had launched a review of its practices and would not be pursuing warrants while it was ongoing.

EDF, the UK's second-largest supplier, said it had applied for almost 14,000 warrants in 2022 but not acted on around half after contacting customers and agreeing other means of controlling arrears. The company is understood to have acted out of caution rather than in response to evidence of bad practice.


In a statement it said: "We regularly review and update these processes and so we are confident they are fit for purpose. Nonetheless we are currently reviewing them again to reconfirm they are robust and see if we can make any improvements. We have suspended forced installation of prepayment meters while we conduct this latest review."

A Scottish Power spokesperson said: "We would not switch a customer to prepayment without advanced notice and installing a prepayment meter is always a last resort, only after we have exhausted all other options to speak to and work with customers on debt repayment.

"We deplore the behaviours reported and have suspended all warrant installations while a thorough investigation takes place."

Shell Energy said it had extended an annual winter moratorium on forced installations.

"Every year we pause installs in December and January, and we have extended this moratorium this winter. It's only ever a last resort if a customer doesn't engage with us for at least six months - we will always find a way to help if they do. And even then, if there is any sign of vulnerability we will not install a pre-payment meter.

OVO Energy told Sky News it had suspended "warrant activity" in November and has now suspended all debt recovery on prepayment meters until March.

While there is great concern about the increase in the imposition of prepayment meters as a consequence of soaring prices, suppliers face financial pressure as a consequence of millions of customers struggling to meet payments.

Around 40% of customers are estimated to be spending more than 10% of their income on energy and nearly a million energy customers are now in arrears with suppliers with no plan to repay debts.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×