The UK government has ordered energy suppliers to stop forcing low-income households to install prepaid energy meters. This writes Bloomberg. According to the government, such meters should only be used as a last resort.
“Providers deliberately force low-income people to install such a meter before they even offer the support families deserve,” said Energy Secretary of State Grant Shapps. “I refuse to believe that all alternatives have been considered.”
The government intervention comes just over a week after Citizens Advice’s report showed gas suppliers forced more than 600,000 households to replace their existing credit meters with prepay meters as those households struggled to pay the bills. Many of those families did not want to change, but were ordered to do so by court order.
4 million families
In total, there are around 4 million households in the UK who use a prepay meter. However, such a system often creates greater financial problems for households, as electricity often turns out to be more expensive due to the lack of good deals through such meters. Partly as a result, more than 3 million people in the UK have not had electricity for some time or more.
With inflation at an all-time high and wages failing to keep up, Britons are having a hard time making ends meet. Especially now that electricity prices have more than tripled from a year earlier.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
