Energy firms agreed a voluntary pause on forced prepayment meter installations in early 2023, after reporting in the Times on 1 February 2023 exposed the practices of major suppliers including British Gas1. The agreement followed media investigations in December 2022 that revealed the scale of forced installations and mass court warrants, and evidence that magistrates' courts were approving bulk applications with minimal scrutiny1.
Forced prepayment meters are installed when a supplier uses a court warrant or remote smart-meter switching to move a household onto pay-as-you-go energy without consent, usually because of debt. When credit runs out, supply stops, which is known as self-disconnection1. Campaigners said the voluntary pause did not go far enough1.
Formalised Ofgem rules replaced the voluntary commitment from 8 November 20231. Under revised rules, some suppliers were allowed to resume forced installations in 2024, and 9 energy suppliers have since resumed forced prepayment meter installations1. Energy debt stands at over £4.5bn1.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which published the account, states that the 1 February 2026 marked the third anniversary of the Times undercover investigation into British Gas, and that the Ofgem investigation into the firm is still ongoing, with the regulator unable to confirm when it will be completed1. In 2025, the Chief Magistrate launched a formal review of the warrant process in England after fresh reporting that large batches of warrants were being approved, in some cases hundreds after only a small sample was reviewed, and that where errors were identified in some applications the rest were approved in bulk1.
"Until the Chief Magistrate's review is complete and the system is proven to be transparent, lawful and safe, all forced prepayment meter installations must stop."
Frazer Scott, chief executive of Energy Action Scotland, said it was "unbelievable and inconsistent with high standards of consumer protection" that the British Gas investigation had taken three years, and that 9 energy suppliers have resumed forced installations while debt stands at over £4.5bn1. Jonathan Bean of Fuel Poverty Action said forced prepayment meters are "inhumane and dangerous" and that disconnecting people from essential heating and power when they are short of cash is "the exact opposite of energy security"1.
Why it matters for households
A forced prepayment meter changes how a home pays for energy and what happens when money runs short. Supply stops when credit runs out, so a household can be cut off from heating and power without the supplier taking any further step1. The account states that prepayment meter households are at highest risk of self-disconnection, and that those affected can include disabled people, people on the Priority Services Register and people living in cold, damp homes1.
For a household's energy independence, the practical effect is that control over when and how energy is bought moves to the supplier, and the fallback when credit is exhausted is disconnection rather than continued supply on account. The rules governing when a supplier can install a meter without permission, and the obligations that apply to smart meter installation, set the terms on which that control can be taken. The account also notes that warrants have been approved in private, with limited records and no public scrutiny, and that the court process in England is now itself under formal investigation1.
What happens next
The Chief Magistrate's review of the warrant process in England is under way, and campaigners have called for a legislative ban on forced prepayment meters1. The Ofgem investigation into British Gas remains open, with no completion date confirmed1. The account states that 9 energy suppliers have resumed forced installations and that others may yet restart1.
Sources1 cited
- Three years on - the forced prepayment meters scandal remains unresolved, endfuelpoverty.org.uk