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Citizens Advice response to Ofgem call for evidence on prepayment rules and protections

14 March 2023

Citizens Advice response to Ofgem call for evidence on prepayment rules and protections [ 210 kb]

Citizens Advice welcomes this call for evidence on enhancing protections for prepayment meter users. We have responded to the questions posed by Ofgem individually.

Summary of key recommendations  

  • We are concerned that the existing moratorium on prepayment meter installations and remote switches is due to expire at the end of March 2023. Ofgem’s MCR on prepayment is not due to report until later in the year. We are concerned that forced installations will resume before Ofgem’s review is complete and the regulator can be confident that suppliers’ processes are safe and appropriate. The voluntary moratorium should be extended at least until the MCR has reported. 

  • Detailed guidance should supplement existing principles-based regulation. Enforcement and monitoring will be vital to ensure that these changes deliver meaningful and lasting improvements in supplier’s actions and in outcomes for consumers. 

  • Currently, suppliers work on the assumption that there is no vulnerability in the household until proven otherwise. This principle should be reversed. Suppliers should assume that there is vulnerability in the household until they can be confident that there is not.