FORCE-FITTING payment meters in the home of vulnerable people is “shocking” and unnecessary, according to a leading energy expert.
Energy UK’s former CEO Angela Knight was commenting on the results of an investigation by the Times newspaper which found that British Gas was forcing people to have pre-payment meters.
It found that debt collectors working for the firm were breaking into people’s homes to fit the meters.
Ms Knight told GB News: “I do think it’s a shocking story and I think it’s a wake up call not just to [British Gas owner] Centrica, but to all the energy companies.
“Firstly, there are people who say, I’m not going to pay, they can afford to pay, but they won’t pay…
“That’s what this process is supposed to be for, the process being that the energy company applies to the court for a court order in order to put in a pre-paid meter.
“So the individuals who say they won’t pay, but as I say, they can afford to, they are getting a pre-paid meter, so they’re not cut off.”
In a discussion with Bev Turner, she said: “But then, you’ve got a lot of people who fit into that vulnerable category and that’s people like the elderly, or people who are disabled, it’s those with very young children.
“And if they have hit a difficulty with being able to pay for their energy, and a lot of people are finding it difficult at the moment, then a pre-paid meter is not the answer.
“They need to have an arrangement with their energy company and importantly, the energy company has a responsibility to find out first if somebody who isn’t paying falls into one of those special categories, and vulnerable categories.
“And if they do, then they shouldn’t be applying to the courts, what they should be doing is making another arrangement.”
Ms Knight added: “Now what Centrica said is they’ve stopped all of their applications right now and good on them.
“Clearly, they’re going to have to sort out the vulnerable from the not vulnerable, but they have not got a few months to do it, and then they can refresh how they approach this problem.
“And I think that what The Times’ sting has done, and what the Centrica announcement means, is that all other energy companies pay exactly the same amount of attention first, before applying for that court order.”
