In response to the UK Government’s recent request, the Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has today claimed all energy suppliers have now committed to ending the forced installation of prepayment meters in vulnerable customers’ homes.

Following reports of suppliers using warrants to forcibly install prepayment meters in customers’ homes, fuel poverty charity National Energy Action calls for a ban on forced prepayment meter installations.

Today the Office of National Statistics (ONS) release figures showing there were 13,400 more deaths in England and Wales in the winter period (December 2021 to March 2022) compared with the average of the non-winter months. 

New Fuel Poverty Monitor report which investigates the impact of the energy crisis on fuel poor households recommends the introduction of a new social tariff – a targeted discount energy deal for those at risk of fuel poverty.

The Government’s targeted support won’t be enough however to stop millions of vulnerable people sinking further into debt or being at risk of physical and mental harm, as they ration their energy to dangerous levels.

We are joining Which?, Citizens Advice, Age UK and Money Saving Expert in calling on energy firms and the government to urgently investigate why so many customers on traditional prepayment meters have not yet accessed the government support.

Our Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on Friday 2 December took place in the most desperate circumstances we’ve seen at National Energy Action, during our 40 years of existence.

National Energy Action is warning that, based on current delivery rates of home energy efficiency measures, the UK Government could miss its legal target to improve all fuel poor homes in England to a reasonable standard by over 150 years.

Ahead of National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on Friday 2 December, the charity releases new figures to show the impact of this winter’s spiralling prices. From April, 8.4 million UK households will be in fuel poverty.