If you have an old-style prepayment meter, you can ask your energy supplier to replace it with:

• an old-style credit meter – this type of meter doesn’t let you prepay for your energy

• a smart meter – this type of meter has a prepayment setting your supplier can turn on or off

Your supplier usually won’t replace your meter or change your smart meter setting if you’re in debt to them.

You can find out who your gas or electricity supplier is if you don’t already know.

You won’t have to pay to have an old-style credit meter or a smart meter installed. If your supplier wants to charge you, contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

If you were wrongly forced onto prepayment

In February 2023 Ofgem, the energy regulator, asked all energy suppliers to review any recent decisions they made to:

• force customers onto a prepayment meter

• remotely switch smart meter customers to prepayment

Ofgem asked energy suppliers to check they followed the rules when switching customers to prepayment. You can check the rules your supplier should have followed.  

If your supplier didn’t follow the rules, you might be able to get your:

• prepayment meter switched to a credit meter

• smart meter switched to credit mode 

In some cases you might be offered compensation. 

If you’ve finished paying off debt

If you don’t want to be on prepayment anymore, your supplier must remove your old-style prepayment meter and give you an old-style credit meter or smart meter instead. 

If you’d prefer to stay on prepayment, your supplier must reset your meter so you’re not paying too much.

When you might need a credit check or deposit

Before your supplier installs an old-style credit meter or turns off your smart meter’s prepayment setting, you might have to have a credit check or pay a deposit. If you’d rather not have a credit check you can ask to pay a deposit instead.

If your supplier asks for a deposit, it should be for a reasonable amount. They should work out what’s reasonable by looking at how much energy households like yours use over 3 months. This is usually between £150 and £300, though it could be more.

If it’s much more, complain to your supplier, asking to know how they decided the amount. 

Check your final credit before you move off prepayment

Before your supplier installs your new meter or turns off your smart meter’s prepayment setting, make a note of how much credit you have left. Your supplier will transfer your credit to your new account, so it will go towards your first bill.

If you owe money to your supplier because you’ve used some emergency credit, write this down instead. They’ll add what you owe to your first bill.

You should also take a final meter reading.

It’s a good idea to take a photo of the meter, so you have proof of what it says.