Energy firms made 187,000 applications to magistrates' courts for warrants to force households onto prepayment meters (PPMs) in the first six months of 2022, according to freedom of information requests cited by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition. The same requests put the total since the end of Covid lockdown at 500,0001.
An investigation by Dean Kirby at the i Paper found some courts were approving 500 warrants in under four minutes1. The coalition describes the practice as "disconnection by the backdoor", noting that PPM customers who cannot top up will eventually run out of gas or electricity and self-disconnect, and that PPM users generally still pay daily standing charges even after self-disconnecting. It adds that they are often made to pay off accrued debt before they can access heating and power1.
Research by the energy firm Utilita, reported in The Sun, indicated that while 86% of PPM households chose to be on the tariff, as many as 14% of the 4.5m PPM households, around 630,000, did not choose it, and that this could cost them in excess of £200 more over the winter1.
The coalition states that Ofgem recognised remote switching of smart meters to prepayment mode as a breach of licence conditions and wrote repeatedly to energy firms urging them to stop, citing letters in September and November 20221. Standard licence conditions 27 and 28 require suppliers to check that a PPM is safe and reasonably practicable before installation1.
The industry body Energy UK told the i Paper that suppliers face "difficult decisions" in dealing with customers in debt and that warrants are a last resort after "exhausting all other options" and after vulnerability checks are carried out1.
"suppliers face 'difficult decisions' in dealing with customers in debt on their bills and the warrants are a last resort after 'exhausting all other options' and after vulnerability checks are carried out."
The coalition states that The Times investigation into British Gas' use of PPMs proved this was not the case, which led Ofgem to impose an energy-firm backed voluntary ban on forced transfers and the Chief Justice to ban magistrates from issuing warrants to install PPMs1. It adds that energy firms were granted over 13,000 warrants for entry after the voluntary ban came in, and that the Ministry of Justice "does not know" why these were issued1.
Firms later signed up to a new voluntary code of conduct, which Ofgem made part of licence conditions from 1 October 2023, and the cost premium for paying by PPM rather than direct debit was removed through the Ofgem price cap1. Ofgem then allowed firms to restart force fitting prepayment meters in early 20241.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| PPM warrant applications, first six months of 2022 | 187,000 |
| PPM warrant applications since end of Covid lockdown | 500,000 |
| Warrants for entry granted since voluntary ban | Over 13,000 |
| PPM households that did not choose the tariff | 14% of 4.5m, around 630,000 |
| Licence conditions covering PPM installation | Standard licence conditions 27 and 28 |
| Code of conduct added to licence conditions | 1 October 2023 |
Why it matters for households
A warrant gives a supplier legal entry to a home to install a prepayment meter, or to switch a smart meter remotely to prepayment mode. For a household already in debt, that changes how energy is bought: credit is topped up in advance, and running out means supply stops until the meter is topped up. The coalition states that PPM users generally still pay daily standing charges even after self-disconnecting, and are often required to clear accrued debt before supply is restored1. That combination affects a home's practical control over its own supply, because the ability to keep heating and power on depends on topping up rather than on a credit arrangement with the supplier.
The coalition also states that closed magistrates' court hearings are still being used to secure warrants against households with unpaid bills, often without customers present or represented, and that campaigners have written to the Government and Ofgem demanding an immediate new pause on forced PPM installations until further conditions are met1. The coalition notes that customers can contact Citizens Advice or other representative organisations to challenge installations1. Details of how suppliers are regulated sit under Ofgem, and routes for challenging a supplier are set out under energy complaints and redress.
What happens next
The coalition states that campaigners have written to the Government and Ofgem demanding an immediate new pause on forced prepayment meter installations until further conditions are met1. No date has been reported for a response, and no decision by Ofgem or the Government on a further pause has been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- The forced pre-payment meters scandal - End Fuel Poverty Coalition, endfuelpoverty.org.uk