The forcible instalment of energy prepayment meters for the over-85s is set to be banned under new rules, according to reports.
The fresh guidelines have been agreed by all energy supply firms and will be launched tomorrow by Ofgem, the energy regulator, tomorrow at 7am.
As part of the rules, energy firms will now have to attempt to contact a customer at least 10 times and also conduct a “welfare visit” before installing a prepayment meter, as reported by The Guardian.
Representatives fitting the prepayment meters will also have to wear body cameras.
It comes after British Gas attracted widespread criticism after subcontractors broke into the homes of customers to install the meters.
Business secretary Grant Shapps branded the revelations “outrageous” and wrote a letter to energy firms in February demanding that they ditch the practice.
Ofgem placed a ban on the forced installations of pre-payment meters in the same month after British Gas’s business practices were exposed by The Times.
The installation of prepayment meters has increased since the energy crisis that was largely sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A report by Citizens Advice in January this year estimated that 600,000 people were forced onto a prepayment meter because they were unable to afford their energy bills in 2022. This is up from 380,000 in 2021.
The charity said it feared an additional 160,000 people could be switched over the pre-payment meters by the end of winter in 2023.
Dame Clare Moriarty, the advisory service’s chief executive, said: “All too often the people finding it hardest to pay their bills are being forced on to a prepayment meter they can’t afford to top up.
“This puts them at real risk of being left in cold, damp and dark homes. The staggering rise in the cost of living means many simply cannot afford to heat and power their homes to safe levels.”
Campaigners have long argued against the practice because they can leave the worst off without any access to electricity or gas.
And prepayment meters charge customers for energy at a higher rate than they would be billed on a contract paid monthly or by direct debit.
