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British Gas has become the latest supplier to adjust protections for prepayment meter (PPM) users and insisted it will not remotely switch customers unless they request it.
It comes on the back of a recent report by Citizens Advice, which highlighted how last year 3.2 million people across Great Britain ran out of credit on their PPM because they could not afford to top up, the equivalent of someone being cut off every 10 seconds.
The Centrica-owned retailer said it is helping around a million energy customers each month but that some PPM customers are self-disconnecting and not coming forward for help.
As part of its updated support, the company has committed to not remotely switch customers to PPMs this winter unless they request it and has said it will ensure those struggling are fitted with smart PPMs to more quickly identify issues and provide support.
Furthermore, British Gas is committing £10 million for discretionary support such as non-repayable credit up to £250. The £10 million comes from the £25 million the supplier announced last November as part of its additional investment to support vulnerable customers.
Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea said: “As a responsible business we are doing all we can to support our customers during this crisis – our work with the British Gas Energy Trust provides grants and money advice services.
“As well as helping our customers with much needed cash grants, I’m really proud of how our teams are giving expert advice and support at this busy time to help guide people through this crisis.
“Our call centres are helping around a million energy customers each month with their bills and our engineers are in homes every day advising customers on how to be more energy efficient and make savings.”
Elsewhere, Scottish Power has confirmed it is not recovering debt from customers on new PPMs and is focused instead on charging for usage.
Ovo Energy announced last September a debt repayment holiday for PPM customers from October until the end of March, and Eon has also confirmed it will not be asking customers to repay any outstanding debt until this time.
Meanwhile a Shell Energy spokesperson told Utility Week that it has voluntarily stopped moving customers to PPMs over the months of December and January “for a number of years”.
They added: “With regards to debt recovery, we always try to engage with PPM customers that have a long-standing debt to agree a regular amount they can afford to repay that won’t leave them in financial hardship.
“For customers in financial difficulty we regularly pause debt recovery whenever it becomes burdensome, to help them get back on their feet.”
Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, said: “It’s good to see some energy companies committing to bringing in more protections for people at risk of being left in cold, dark homes.
“We’re particularly glad to see where companies have temporarily stopped the harmful practice of forcing people onto prepay by the flick of a switch remotely.
“We’re continuing to call for a total ban on forcing people onto prepayment meters, until further protections are in place. This should include both smart meter switches and forced installations of traditional meters.”
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