UK NEWS
Energy firms can force-fit prepayment meters again
EDF, Octopus and Scottish Power win approval after Ofgem changed rules because of a scandal over aggressive debt collection
Prepayment meters are not allowed to be fitted in the homes of vulnerable people
Energy firms have been given the green light to force-fit prepayment meters in customers’ homes for the first time in almost a year after committing to strict new rules to protect the vulnerable.
Ofgem confirmed that three companies — EDF, Octopus and Scottish Power — had been signed off as compliant with legal changes made after widespread concern about aggressive debt collection in the energy industry.
The new rules allow the companies to collect debts by force-fitting prepayment meters in some cases as a last resort — but ban them from doing this in the homes of millions of people deemed to be vulnerable.
Those protected by the ban include people over 75 who do not have live-in help, families with children under two and
