Earlier this week, Ofgem announced a new Code of Practice regarding installing prepayment meters (PPM) for vulnerable and disabled customers. During a parliament live discussion, they went into more detail about what this entails (Video below).
Key points
- Prepayment meter customers pay more on energy bills per unit compared to other customers. Therefore the Government plans to monitor the activities of energy suppliers and regulatory authorities very closely in the future.
- The PPM Code of Practice will be incorporated in energy suppliers’ contract by October
- Strong protection for vulnerable households when energy companies fit prepayment meters
The vulnerable groups include:
- Any family with children under 5
- Elderly people over 65
- Serious medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
- Temporary situations such as Pregnancy or grieving
Households without any of the vulnerable groups will still have to deal with the difficulties of having a prepayment meters. Citizens Advice saw a 229% increase in the number of people seeking help who couldn’t afford to top up their prepayment meter and predicts that 160,000 more people could be moved onto prepayment meters.
What Help Is Available?
Off-gas Heating Grant– This is part of the ECO4 scheme. This grant is available for people off the gas grid using alternative types of heating such as wood, oil, LPG, coal, electric. Eligible households get a new heat source heating system with insulation, radiators and solar panels all for free.
Non-condensing Boiler Upgrade – This is another ECO4 scheme. People with an old non-condensing boiler, usually the boiler is 10 years old or more get a new more efficient combi-boiler, for free.
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