Homes with smart meters being plunged into darkness by REMOTE CONTROL 

Lisa Bonner was getting ready for her run on a crisp morning two months ago when an email from her energy supplier showed up on her phone.

The message panicked her. EDF wrote to inform her that the supply of her three-room apartment had switched to a so-called prepayment meter.

That meant that from then on, the mother-of-three and her husband Nick, 51, had to top up their account at all times – otherwise their power could suddenly be cut off.

Not only that, but their bills would probably be even higher because the pay-as-you-go rate would be more expensive than their old ones.

The worst part? The 45-year-old, who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, had not given EDF her consent for the switch.

The company was able to take matters into its own hands because Lisa had promised six months earlier to install a smart meter in her home.

Thanks to the high-tech devices – which display your energy consumption in real time and automatically forward meter readings to suppliers – energy companies can switch customers remotely to different tariffs.

And, crucially, if a household fails to pay, goes into debt or fails to pay bills on time, the supplier can use a smart meter to cut power. All it takes is a push of a button in an office hundreds of miles away.

Consumer organization Citizens Advice estimates that by the end of this winter 180,000 households will have switched to prepayment via their smart meter.

Suppliers say they do this to prevent families from running into large debts. The average dual-fuel utility bill has risen to £2,500 a year – or more than £200 a month – and many families are expected to struggle to keep up with their payments.

While moving customers to prepayment meters could help them manage their spending, it also leaves homes vulnerable to lockdown.

In simple terms, it means the risk of blackouts if they can’t afford to top up their account balance on a regular basis.

In the industry, moving customers to prepayment plans is confusingly referred to as “self-disconnection.”

Citizens Advice says it has heard of 500 people being pushed onto prepayment meters this year – a 158 per cent increase from the same period in 2021.

In one case, a single mother with a young baby was transferred remotely to a prepayment plan while on maternity leave.

It meant she couldn’t even boil the kettle to make bottles for her child and spent the night in the dark.

According to regulator Ofgem, some households have been without light and heating for weeks.

A spokesman for Ofgem said: ‘In extreme cases, the reports we have received suggest that this has resulted in some vulnerable customers being without power for days or even weeks. This is completely unacceptable.’

For energy plans with prepayment, customers must top up themselves when their balance is running low.

With a smart meter, this is done online via an app. Or households can use a prepayment keycard that can be topped up in post offices and PayPoint zones, often found in newsagents. The rates are also more expensive.

Prepaid customers are estimated to spend £258 more on their energy this winter than someone paying by direct debit, according to research from Citizens Advice.

In the past, suppliers had to send staff to a customer’s home if they were in debt and the company wanted to change its payment plan.

But the widespread adoption of smart meters means businesses no longer have to come face to face with the people they cut off.

Companies typically try to switch customers to prepayment plans only when they have accumulated debt on their accounts set up with direct debits and the supplier is having trouble getting payment.

However, Ofgem rules state that households must agree to the switch.

Lisa says she was about £300 in debt on her utility bill.

About a month before switching to a prepayment meter, EDF stopped its direct debit.

Although Lisa – whose children Fiona, seven, Madison, ten and 12-year-old India all live with the family home – says she never agreed to the change, EDF insists it sent her a warning letter about moving the bill to a prepayment rate.

“I couldn’t believe EDF could change my account without my permission,” she says.

“I don’t know if we can turn on the heating now.”

Earlier this month, Ofgem wrote to suppliers that it had heard of ‘alarming’ cases where customers were not consulted about these switches.

Ofgem would not say how it would take action against companies that break the rules.

Lisa’s cancer diagnosis should have marked her as a ‘vulnerable’ customer – meaning more protection should have been in place before a supplier cut power to her home.

EDF says it is unaware of Lisa’s illness and insists her account was only moved as a last resort.

It informed her in August that her direct debit was being canceled and said it had sent several emails telling her how to access support.

The company says it first sent a letter explaining its intention to give her a prepayment plan and gave her a week to respond — which she didn’t.

She then had another 14-day window to question her new plan.

But Lisa insists she had tried calling EDF to discuss her options before the company cut her off.

EDF accepts that a call has been made, but says no resolution has been found at that time.

She says, ‘I have three girls, I’m in a position right now where we may not be able to turn on the heating.

“If it gets to the last week of the month and we’re running low, I may not have £10 left to top up the meter.”

Some 29.5 million smart meters have been installed in homes and small businesses across the UK.

They were sold to customers to ensure their bills were correct by recording household energy use in real time.

There has never been any publicity mention of the meters, that they can be used to remotely cut off household gas and electricity.

Data expert Nick Hunn, who runs technology consultancy WiFore, says the situation is very worrying for consumers.

He adds: “Smart meters essentially give suppliers a button they can press to cut off customers without having to send anyone.

‘If I were ever in a situation where I couldn’t pay my energy bill, I wouldn’t touch a smart meter with a pole.

‘When smart meters were first rolled out, the idea of ​​shutting off households remotely was always on the minds of suppliers.’

A spokesperson for Smart Energy GB says: ‘Suppliers must follow strict rules set by Ofgem, including offering ways to help customers repay money they owe.

‘And they can only set a meter to pay in advance if it is safe to do so.

“These rules apply regardless of the type of meter you have.”

Under Ofgem rules, a supplier can only move you to a prepayment meter as a last resort if your account has unpaid debts. However, he must explain to you in writing that you have 28 days to pay off the arrears.

After that, it can write to you informing you that you are being moved to a prepayment meter.

But a notice period of seven days applies to a gas meter and seven working days to an electric meter.

However, suppliers cannot oblige vulnerable customers – for example those entitled to state pension or with children under five – to have a prepayment meter installed.

When the debt has been paid off, customers can ask their energy supplier to be put back on a direct debit.

h.kelly@dailymail.co.uk