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Vulnerable prepayment energy meter customers put at needless risk during Covid-19 pandemic says National Energy Action

Richard Simmonds • Jun 30, 2021

Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action is calling for vulnerable people who use prepayment energy meters should be put at the front of the queue in the smart meter rollout.

Increased Covid-19 risks

The Covid-19 pandemic showed just how vulnerable people using old prepayment meters were as many were forced to go outside and visit shops and other outlets during the national lockdowns in order to keep the lights and heating on.

With the government looking at how the virus impacted different demographics it is clear that those people living in less well off areas suffered the most with more Covid deaths recorded in that group than any other.

One of the reasons for this was the extra risks prepayment meter customers had to take just to stay warm or light their homes.

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“Our findings are stark. There is clear evidence vulnerable energy customers with older ‘pay as you go’ meters were put at needless risk during pandemic. These customers have faced a torrid time during the last 18 months. During successive lockdowns they have faced extra difficulty, needing to leave the safety of their homes to top up, just to keep their lights on and their families warm. This danger and extra difficulty could have been prevented with the rollout of new smart meters for these customers,” said Matthew Copeland Head of Policy at National Energy Action.

According to National Energy Action’s report more than 2 million ‘pay as you go’ customers with older ‘legacy’ energy meters were put at needless risk during the pandemic.

Also read: Prepayment Meter vs Direct Debit: Which is Better?

Smart Meter rollout should prioritise low income households

Several charities are now making calls for the Government, Ofgem and the wider energy industry to put low income households at the front of the queue when it comes to the smart meter rollout.

They say that by replacing all pay as you go energy meters with smart meters the lowest income families could see a total household benefits of £5 billion. Not only will smart meters reduce the risks to homeowners they will also allow to save money on their energy bills and give them greater control over their energy usage.

“The benefits of smart metering for pay as you go customers could be significant; more than £5bn in benefits for households has the potential to make huge impact on struggling households. As well as targeted steps to boost awareness of the technology and incentivise its uptake, National Energy Action and Energy Action Scotland want to see the UK Government and Ofgem introduce specific targets for replacing legacy prepayment meters. Replacing the millions of outdated prepayment meters will clearly take time and those with old technology must be protected from higher prices in the meantime. Prepayment customers must remain our priority and prices for prepayment users must remain capped, until all prepayment households have received a smart meter,” said Frazer Scott, Chief Executive of Energy Action Scotland (EAS).

The smart meter rollout has been beset with challenges since it was first announced but recently energy suppliers have been given more time to prepare for new rules surrounding their obligations by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The new smart meter rollout obligations that were due to come into force on July 1^st have been deferred to January 1^st, 2022

Also read: How to Sell the Benefits of Smart Meters to Consumers

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