How to stop an electricity disconnection on a low income

A letter warning that your electricity could be cut off, or a prepayment meter flashing low credit days before payday, is frightening. Without power there is no fridge, no light, often no heating or hot water, and sometimes no way to charge the phone you need to ask for help. For households with children, an elderly relative or medical equipment, the worry is even greater.

In Great Britain, energy suppliers must follow strict rules before cutting off a home, and disconnection of a credit meter for debt is now rare. The risk most low-income households really face is different: being moved onto prepayment and then running out of credit, which is a disconnection in all but name. This page explains your rights, what to do at each stage, and why borrowing to top up should come last.

Two different situations

Credit meter with arrears

If you pay by direct debit or when a bill arrives and have fallen behind, your supplier must contact you, explain the debt and try to agree an affordable way to repay before it considers disconnection. In practice, suppliers usually offer a repayment plan, repayment through benefits, or a switch to prepayment instead.

Prepayment meter running out

Here the supply stops as soon as the credit runs out, often called self-disconnection. It can happen on the same day you realise you have no money, so it needs quick action. Many of the steps below are about keeping a prepayment meter running.

If your prepayment meter is about to run out

• Use emergency credit. Most meters offer a small amount of emergency credit, repaid when you next top up.
• Check friendly credit hours. On many meters, the supply is not cut off overnight, at weekends or on bank holidays, even when credit runs out.
• Call your supplier. Say that you cannot afford to top up. Suppliers must consider giving extra or temporary credit, especially if you are vulnerable, have young children, a disability or a health condition.
• Ask about the debt recovery rate. If most of each top-up goes towards old debt, ask for a lower weekly deduction based on what you can afford.
• Ask about fuel vouchers. The Fuel Bank Foundation and some local schemes provide prepayment top-up vouchers through referral partners such as food banks, Citizens Advice or support workers.

If your top-up card, key or app is not working, report it straight away: a faulty meter is the supplier's responsibility, and you should not be left without power because of it.

If you have a disconnection warning on a credit meter

1. Contact the supplier immediately, by phone and in writing, and say you want to agree a repayment plan.
2. Prepare a short budget showing what you can pay each week or month on top of your ongoing use. Do not agree to an amount you cannot keep up.
3. Tell them about anything that makes you vulnerable: age, disability, serious illness, mental health problems, young children or medical equipment that needs electricity.
4. If you receive certain benefits, ask about Fuel Direct, where a fixed amount is paid from your benefit straight to the supplier.
5. Keep a note of every call, with the date and the name of the person you spoke to.

Many large suppliers have committed not to disconnect vulnerable customers, and households where everyone is of pension age are protected from disconnection over the winter under an industry agreement. If your arrears sit alongside other unpaid bills, our page on catching up with overdue bills helps you put them in order.

Your protections around prepayment meters

After serious problems with forced installations in 2022 and 2023, Ofgem tightened the rules. Suppliers must now carry out stricter checks before fitting a prepayment meter, or switching a smart meter to prepay mode, without your agreement. They must make several attempts to contact you, consider whether prepayment is safe and practical for your household, and carry out a welfare visit before going further.

Some households should not have a meter installed involuntarily at all, for example where everyone is over 75 without support at home, or where someone depends on a constant supply for a medical condition. If you think prepayment would be unsafe for you, perhaps because you cannot reach the meter, cannot get to a top-up point, or have a long-term illness, tell the supplier in writing and ask for a review. If a supplier applies to court for a warrant, you should be told, and you can explain your circumstances.

The Priority Services Register and free advice

The Priority Services Register is a free list run by suppliers and network operators. It is for people of pension age, people with a disability or long-term health condition, families with young children, and others who may need extra help. Being on it can mean advance warning of planned power cuts, priority support in an emergency, and a supplier that is more aware of your situation if you fall behind. Ask your supplier to add you; it costs nothing and does not affect your bill.

Free advice can make a real difference when talks with a supplier stall:

• Citizens Advice can help you negotiate and explain your rights;
• local energy advice charities and council teams often help with arrears and grant applications;
• a free debt adviser can deal with energy arrears alongside other debts, which is covered in our guide to free help with debts.

If you complain to the supplier and the problem is not resolved within the time allowed, or you get a final response you disagree with, you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman, free of charge. In Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council and the Utility Regulator handle energy issues under a different set of rules.

Grants and support to clear or reduce arrears

Several sources of money do not need to be repaid:

• Supplier hardship funds and energy trusts: many suppliers run or fund schemes that can clear part or all of an energy debt, often for people who have had debt advice. You do not always have to be a customer of that supplier.
• Local crisis support: councils in England, the Scottish Welfare Fund, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland may help with fuel in a crisis.
• Benefit checks: extra income from an unclaimed benefit, such as Pension Credit, also opens the door to other help, including the Warm Home Discount for eligible households.

For help lowering your bills over the longer term, see our pages on help with electricity bills and wider energy bill support.

Borrowing to keep the lights on: think twice

When the meter is close to zero, a quick loan can look like the only answer. It rarely is. Energy debt can be repaid gradually, often without interest, and a supplier must take your ability to pay into account. A payday loan, a high-cost short-term loan or an unauthorised overdraft adds interest and charges to a problem that could have been spread out at no cost.

If you still need a small sum for an essential cost, consider an interest-free Budgeting Advance from Universal Credit, a credit union loan, or help from family with clear terms. Compare the APR and the total to repay. Never pay a fee to someone promising to "unlock" a meter or clear your energy debt, and never accept meter tampering: it is dangerous and illegal.

Checklist to stop a disconnection

• Emergency credit and friendly credit hours checked.
• Supplier contacted and told you cannot afford to top up or pay.
• Vulnerability explained and Priority Services Register requested.
• Affordable repayment plan or Fuel Direct discussed.
• Fuel vouchers, supplier hardship funds and local crisis support requested.
• Free advice sought, and the Energy Ombudsman used if the complaint stalls.