Energy & your rights · UK guide

Prepayment meters: your rights & protections.

Last verified 21 Jun 2026 · Source Ofgem + Citizens Advice

On a prepayment energy meter, or being told you’ll be switched to one? You have real protections. Suppliers can’t force one on the over-75s with no support or homes with children under 2, must follow a mandatory Ofgem code, and must offer emergency credit and support so you’re not cut off. Here’s how the rules work and how to get help.

Last resortForced installs are restricted
ProtectedOver-75s, under-2s & more
£30 creditOn a warrant install
Emergency creditSo you’re not cut off
The forced-install rules → Help with energy bills

When a supplier can’t force a prepayment meter

Moving someone onto a prepayment meter (PPM) to recover a debt — including remotely switching a smart meter to prepay — is now a last resort governed by a mandatory Ofgem Code of Practice that’s part of every supplier’s licence. Break it and they face enforcement and fines.

Forced (involuntary) installation is banned for households including:

  • People aged 75 or over with no support in the home;
  • Households with children under 2;
  • Other high-risk groups (e.g. serious medical conditions, certain disabilities) — suppliers must assess for vulnerability first.
What a supplier must do before any warrant install

Make multiple attempts to contact you and offer a payment plan, carry out a vulnerability assessment, give clear notice, wear a body camera on the visit, and apply credit to the meter (Ofgem set this at £30 per meter) so you’re not immediately cut off. If they skip these steps, they’re breaking their licence.

Staying on supply: emergency credit & help

HelpWhat it does
Emergency creditSwitch it on when you’re running low so you’re not suddenly cut off — you repay it when you next top up. Ask your supplier how to activate it.
Friendly / non-disconnection hoursSmart prepayment meters may keep you on supply overnight, at weekends and on holidays even if credit runs out, so you’re not left in the dark.
Additional support creditVulnerable customers on smart PPMs can ask for extra credit to stay on supply — request it from your supplier.
Priority Services RegisterFree register for extra help if you’re vulnerable (older, disabled, ill, young children) — ask your supplier to add you.
Fuel DirectIf you’re on certain benefits, energy arrears can be repaid in manageable amounts straight from your benefits.
If you’re self-disconnecting, get help now

Going without heating or power because you can’t top up (“self-disconnection” or “self-rationing”) can be dangerous. Tell your supplier you’re struggling — they must help — and get free advice from Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133). You may also get a grant from a hardship fund (see our energy bill help guide).

Getting moved off a prepayment meter

If a prepayment meter isn’t safe or practical for you — for example because of health, disability or because topping up is hard — you can ask your supplier to switch you to a credit meter. They should consider your request and your circumstances. It usually helps to:

  • Explain why the PPM is a problem (health, mobility, affordability, distance to a top-up shop).
  • Ask to go on the Priority Services Register and for a repayment plan for any arrears.
  • If they refuse unreasonably or broke the install rules, complain, then go free to the Energy Ombudsman after 8 weeks (or a deadlock letter).
Do this now
  1. Tell your supplier about anyone vulnerable in the home and ask to join the Priority Services Register.
  2. If you’re low on credit, switch on emergency credit and ask about friendly hours / additional support credit.
  3. Struggling or facing a forced install? Ask for a payment plan, and get free advice from Citizens Advice 0808 223 1133.

Free help: Citizens Advice consumer service 0808 223 1133 · the Energy Ombudsman · Ofgem (ofgem.org.uk). This is general information, not legal advice.

Source verification Primary sources: Ofgem (new rules for installing involuntary prepayment meters; the mandatory Code of Practice; protections for vulnerable people) and Citizens Advice. Last verified 21 June 2026. Confidence: High — forced/involuntary PPM installation (including remote smart-meter switching) is a last resort under a mandatory, licence-condition Code of Practice; it is banned for over-75s with no support and households with under-2s, with vulnerability assessments required; warrant installs require prior contact attempts, body cameras and £30 credit per meter. Emergency credit, friendly non-disconnection hours, additional support credit, the Priority Services Register and Fuel Direct are established support routes (exact emergency-credit amounts vary by supplier, so described qualitatively). SortedUK is independent — not an energy supplier or Ofgem — and this is general information, not legal advice. Contact your supplier and Citizens Advice for your situation.

Prepayment meters — common questions

Can they switch my smart meter to prepayment remotely?

Only under the same strict last-resort rules as a physical install — including a vulnerability assessment and the protections for over-75s with no support and homes with under-2s. If they did it without following the code, complain and contact Citizens Advice.

I've run out of credit and can't top up — what now?

Switch on emergency credit if you haven’t already. Smart PPMs may keep you on supply during friendly hours, and vulnerable customers can ask for additional support credit. Tell your supplier you’re struggling — they must help — and get free advice.

Can I refuse a prepayment meter?

If you’re in a protected group it shouldn’t be force-installed at all. Otherwise, engage early: agree a payment plan, raise any vulnerability, and ask for alternatives. Don’t ignore contact from your supplier, as that’s when warrant action can follow.

The supplier broke the rules — what can I do?

Complain to the supplier in writing, and if it isn’t resolved in 8 weeks (or you get a deadlock letter) take it free to the Energy Ombudsman, whose decision is binding. Ofgem can also act against suppliers that breach the code.

No one should be left in the dark.

Know your protections, switch on emergency credit, and ask for help or to move off a prepayment meter. Want help knowing exactly what to say to your supplier?

Ask Sorted to help → Help with energy bills