Energy suppliers who can install prepayment meters without permission
- Publication type:
- Transparency document
- Publication date:
- Topic:
- Metering,
- Consumer protection
- Subtopic:
- Prepayment meters
Lists energy suppliers that can install prepayment meters without permission, but only after they have checked the household's circumstances.
- British Gas – restarted 26 October 2026
- Ecotricity – restarted 18 May 2026
- E.ON – restarted on 21 February 2024
- EDF – restarted on 8 January 2024
- Fuse – started on 5 October 2026 (not part of compliance review)
- Good Energy –restarted on 6 January 2025
- Octopus – restarted on 8 January 2024
- OVO Energy – restarted on 18 September 2024
- Scottish Power – restarted on 8 January 2024
- So Energy – started on 28 May 2026 (not part of compliance review)
- Tru Energy – restarted on 21 February 2024
- Utilita – restarted on 1 March 2024
- Utility Warehouse – restarted on 26 February 2024
Before installing a prepayment meter without permission
Energy suppliers can only restart this type of installation once we have checked how they installed prepayment meters in the past.
The rules in gas and electricity licences say that suppliers must install prepayment meters to pay back debt in a fair and responsible way. Installation of prepayment meters for this reason should only be done as a last resort.
If we have concerns, we will review this behaviour and take action. This could be enforcement action such as large fines.
The supplier must put things right before they can restart.
Find out when a supplier is allowed to install a prepayment meter without your permission and what they need to do first.