# British Gas resume force-fitting prepayment meters months after £112m settlement

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/british-gas-resume-force-fitting-prepayment-meters-months-after-112m-settlement/
- Published: 2026-11-02T20:05:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T20:19:25+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/nov/02/british-gas-resume-force-fitting-prepayment-meters-months-after-112m-settlement
- Topics: Business, UK, World

## Key points

- British Gas can resume forced prepayment meter installations.
- The restriction was lifted months after a settlement worth over £100m.
- Energy debt is forecast to exceed £7bn.

## Summary

Ofgem has lifted a nearly four-year restriction on British Gas, allowing it to resume installing prepayment meters without customers’ consent to recover unpaid energy bills. The move comes months after the supplier agreed to a settlement worth more than £100m over its role in the prepayment meter scandal, and as households face high bills this winter.

Campaigners warn the change could add to the anxiety of people struggling with energy costs, while British Gas says involuntary installations will be a last resort and follow checks on vulnerability and affordability. Ofgem requires suppliers to make at least 10 attempts to contact customers and conduct a welfare visit; forced installations remain barred in homes with people over 75, children under two, or those with severe health conditions or medical equipment. Household energy debt is forecast to exceed £7bn, adding around £80 to the average bill.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.