Statutory Consultation – Involuntary PPM (chapter based)

Results updated 7 Mar 2024

We asked

We asked for views on proposals to strengthen protections for consumers who may be moved onto a prepayment meter (PPM) involuntarily. Our main proposals were:

• to make the provisions of our Involuntary PPM Code of Practice legally enforceable by bringing them together with relevant modified Supply License Conditions (SLC 28A and SLC 28B) into a new SLC 28, plus make additions and modifications to SLC 27A
• to update the Safe and Reasonably Practicable guidance to integrate the detailed and more prescriptive elements of our Involuntary PPM Code of Practice

We were looking for responses from people and organisations with an interest in consumer vulnerability and debt. In particular, we wanted to hear from:

• consumer groups
• charities
• members of the public

This consultation opened for responses on 28 June 2023, and closed on 26 July 2023.

You said

On the overall approach we have taken, consumer groups generally supported our proposals, though many wanted us to go further and protect more households.

Suppliers agreed we should translate the Code into licence but did not support some parts of it.

We received responses from:

• 20,000 members of the public
• 15 consumer groups
• 7 energy suppliers
• 3 industry bodies
• 2 trade bodies
• 1 Member of Parliament (MP)

Where we were given permission, we’ve published the responses we received. Read the responses to this consultation.

We did

We have decided to proceed with our approach as set out in the consultation and integrate the Code across SLCs and PPM Guidance. We have made two notable changes to the final decision, driven by strong stakeholder feedback:

• moving over 75s with no other support in the household into the ‘do not install’ category
• moving households with children under two into the ‘do not install’ category

In response to calls for more clarity on the obligations suppliers have to comply with the PPM Guidance, we have also made some modifications to how the requirements are split across both the guidance and the SLCs.

See the decision document for more detail on how this decision affects energy consumers and suppliers.

Files:

• Involuntary_PPM_decision.pdf, 94.5 KB (PDF document)