David Osmon, a former senior economist at Ofgem, has called on the UK government to reduce standing charges on prepayment meters (PPM) permanently by removing VAT from them.
The UK government has revealed that OVO Energy, Scottish Power and British Gas have been responsible for over 70% of forced prepayment meter installations in 2022.
Ofgem and Citizens Advice have jointly launched a national evidence-call asking energy customers to share their experiences of transitioning to a prepayment meter.
Energy regulator Ofgem has called on energy suppliers to use the pause in prepayment meter installations to consider whether any recent forced installations should be reversed.
Energy suppliers across the UK have expressed concerns on the levels of customer debt being accumulated because of the halt to warrant prepayment meter installations.
Energy suppliers across the UK have agreed to stop forcing vulnerable households onto prepayment meters after energy security secretary Grant Shapps called for an investigation into the issue.
At the start of the week, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) “named and shamed” a number of energy companies that had the lowest voucher redemption rates for the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has called on energy suppliers to stop force fitting prepayment meters with many doing “nowhere near enough” to support vulnerable customers.
