UK Energy Firms Using Smart Meters to Force Customers to Prepay Bills

(by Jesse Smith | Truth Unmuted) – According to a BBC article, in 2022 alone, over 500 UK energy customers have been automatically and forcibly moved onto a prepayment plan after falling behind on payments as the cost of energy continues to soar. Smart meter technology has created the ability to make this switch, often without any notice to the customer.

The article goes on to state:

Once a smart meter is installed, it is a much simpler process for a supplier to swap the customer into prepay mode at the push of a button, rather than having to apply for a warrant and install a physical box.

Ofgem’s rules state that energy companies must speak to customers before moving them on to a prepayment meter, but the regulator said it was concerned this was not always happening.

Suppliers may put customers on prepayment meters if they struggle to keep up with bills, arguing it helps them to control how much and how often they pay for energy.

But Rosi Avis, who heads up the Manchester Branch of Citizens Advice, said remote switching is “disconnection by the backdoor”.

“If customers are unaware that they are on a pre-payment meter they might not top up and therefore they are more likely to self-disconnect from their gas or electric,” she explained.

Citizens Advice told the BBC that so far in 2022 almost 500 people have been in contact in distress after being forcibly moved onto prepayment – a 158% increase in cases on 2021.

As energy supplies continue to be at risk, many more may be placed in harms way by having money directly taken from their accounts to pay exorbitant fees to heat their homes as winter weather looms.

Smart meters have been touted for their ability to help customers save on energy costs, but the reality is that this is not always true. In addition to providing inaccurate readings and the potential to stop working altogether, they create fire risks and have also been linked to “possibly carcinogenic to humans” RF radiation that may even cause cancer.

As the war on energy continues under the guise of protecting the planet from climate change, the next step may be the full implementation of carbon taxes and carbon credits as the theft of the people’s income continues.