Cold weather payments could be sent directly to customers with smart meters. (Shutterstock) In colder weather, more people use emergency credit and disconnect from power more often. Emergency credit is provided by the utility as a short-term loan. Self-disconnections occur when the household has no credit left and they have no energy supply. The government’s

British Gas, one of the UK's largest energy suppliers, has agreed to pay £163.2 million as compensation to customers who were affected by unfair practices related to prepayment meters. This settlement comes after scrutiny over the treatment of these customers, many of whom were charged higher rates or faced other disadvantages compared to standard meter users. The compensation is intended to reimburse affected households and address discrepancies in billing and service. Regulators have been increasing oversight of energy companies to ensure fairness and transparency, and this case highlights the financial and reputational risks for companies that fail to treat customers equitably. The payment is expected to benefit tens of thousands of consumers across the country and may prompt other energy providers to review their policies to avoid similar penalties.

Thousands of households could receive compensation and debt write-offs following one of the UK energy sector’s biggest investigations

Fresh court revelations and unresolved enforcement cases mean concerns around forced prepayment meters remain active.