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Energy: Meters

Answer

Ofgem monitors and publishes information about the use of prepayment meters in its Social Obligations Annual Reports (www.ofgem.gov.uk/sustainability). The data do not give the total amount of arrears prepayment meter customers have accumulated with their energy supplier or by region. The tables below show the number of customers who had a prepayment meter installed by the big six suppliers to recover a debt from 2006-10.

Prepayment electricity customers
Supplier	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
British Gas	28,400	43,760	36,530	63,626	67,395
E.ON	43,200	45,220	27,553	34,987	23,120
Edf Energy	14,646	12,383	12,297	32,993	24,371
Npower	52,096	28,381	35,129	43,351	33,588
SSE	26,293	32,893	34,678	45,229	57,049
Scottish Power	28,437	38,144	33,053	28,101	19,635
Total	193,072	200,781	179,240	248,287	225,158

Prepayment gas customers
Supplier	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
British Gas	94,921	112,389	103,253	90,504	88,183
E.ON	14,153	6,311	7,260	13,949	12,305
Edf Energy	4,102	3,250	4,218	19,352	15,691
Npower	24,131	23,262	27,635	40,889	31,393
SSE	17,512	20,774	23,050	30,135	36,056
Scottish Power	13,680	14,143	12,887	19,178	14,624
Total	168,499	180,129	178,303	214,007	198,252

The tables below show the number of prepayment meter customers in debt in England, Scotland and Wales at the end of each year from 2006-2010.

Prepayment electricity customers
Region	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
England	361,058	548,014	517,707	459,491	317,329
Scotland	81,643	82,487	65,927	58,547	41,434
Wales	22,179	23,334	19,428	18,330	13,753

Prepayment gas customers
Region	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
England	256,730	318,564	312,143	302,204	270,683
Scotland	26,293	32,703	33,409	29,959	30,959
Wales	24,508	25,006	18,227	18,946	20,256

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

14338; 733 c352-3WA

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Arrears Energy Meters Pre-payment

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk