Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department holds data on the number of households potentially self-disconnecting from power supplies through non-usage as a result of the cost of energy.

The Regulator Ofgem monitors prepayment meter customers’ experiences with the energy market. Ofgem’s most recent Consumer Engagement Survey, published in April 2021, suggested that 21% of prepayment meter customers households had temporarily been disconnected from their supply. This report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/consumer-survey-2020-update-consumer-engagement-energy

The Price Cap continues to ensure that 22 million households, including the 4 million who use a pre-payment meter, pay a fair price for their energy.

In addition, Ofgem’s new licence conditions rules protect Prepayment Meter customers at risk of self-disconnection and include requirements on suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all these customers and to offer additional support credit to customers in vulnerable circumstances.