Millions of British households risk sliding into energy poverty without realising – due to outdated energy meters

A study reveals 2.25 million British households being at risk of sliding unnoticed into energy poverty or even death because they are stuck on outdated energy meters.

Those still left with an old-style ‘PAYG’ (pay as you go) meter, rather than a smart-enabled one - could go undetected by their supplier if they can’t afford to pay.

As a result, vulnerable residents such as the elderly, ill or disabled may not make it through the winter months.

Smart-PAYG meters enable a two-way, real-time communication between the household and the supplier - alerting them if the customer hasn’t topped up.

Legacy households - without access to the features and benefits of smart PAYG - have no digital connectivity as these meters require users to leave the house to top-up.

In contrast, benefits of smart PAYG include topping up without leaving home via an app, having additional energy intel, the ability to see personal usage insights and request financial assistance.

In response, a white paper calling for five major interventions from the government has been submitted by CEO of Utilita Energy, Bill Bullen, to BEIS (The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) and Ofgem.

It asks suppliers to, with immediate effect, prioritise smart meter installs for all legacy PAYG households, and not impose a standing charge.

The white paper also wants suppliers to improve education and myth busting around the stigma associated with PAYG energy, which is a choice for the majority (86 per cent) who use it .

And finally, it wants all government departments to work collaboratively to better identify a simple strategy for helping households avoid self-disconnecting.