To not want a prepayment meter

[Cocoloco889]

Name change due to shame. I'm just looking for advice please.
I have a back injury from in a car crash a few years ago and received compensation and lived off that for a while. However I'm now on universal credit and after rent I have £500 left. I can afford food and a few other minor bills and that is all.
I'm in £2k debt to scottish power and they have written to me saying they are applying to install a prepayment meter.
I have no idea what I'm going to do, I won't be able to top it up. I'm going out of my mind with worry, I can barely buy food this week. I've got £9 to last me until the 30th and its going to be worse with gas and electric to pay for too. I realise there are a lot of people worse off than me and I've tried everything I can to find work, but with my back injury its proving quite difficult

Even the meters that can be topped up online you will still need to be able to safely access the meter as sometimes the top-ups do not automatically go on

I’d try this Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/GbVQ2pyZYQ6FKfnC/?mibextid=K35XfP

They’re help with the legal know how. Whatever you do, refuse a prepayment or smart meter

I've just got off chat twith them. They are going to accept a token payment of £50 a month and review in a year when my granddaughter is 2. Thank you all for your advice.

The planet where I worked in billing and new accounts for two very large energy companies. Of course you can move supplier. You're not their prisoner!

A supplier has the right to object to a change of supply request if there is a debt

But don't those people receive additional financial help for utility bills?

That doesn't mean they'll do it. In the grand scale of things, this isn't a large amount of money.

Typically it’s an automatic action and they do do it.

I work for an energy company (not SP) putting in a prepayment meter really is a last resort.

Have you done any budgeting forms with them? Have you sought debt advice?

Even if they install a prepayment meter, due to you being disabled you should be on the PSR register, which means they are not allowed to leave you without energy, and they will give you discretionary credit anyway if you don't have any money to top up. We have customers who just cannot afford their ongoing usage but we cannot deny discretionary credit if they are on PSR.

Have you been assessed by work capability by UC? If not please submit fit notes if you are too ill to work as you may be assessed as LCWRA which provides a bit more UC each month.

Perhaps in your experience. Certainly not in mine. And I speak from professional experience, as I said.

I don't know about the elderly, but as far as I know seriously disabled people who struggle to move but work, even with very low incomes, don't get additional help unless you count the PIP £10 Christmas bonus.
Also not entitled to the Warm Home Discount, so it's the NHS that acts as the safety net, but PIP which is what supports disabled people in low paid work, is suspended when in hospital.
Carers are entitled to a warm workplace and are withdrawn if you can't heat to am acceptable standard.
You can how ever get a lower rate water and sewage bill if you are seriously disabled, but again it's taken away if you go into hospital.

But the OP will be paying more because she has to pay down the debt.

OPContact Scottish power and be honest with them, they will work with you. They might write off some of the debt. But you need to talk to them.

Apply to their 'warm homes' scheme.

Get in touch with citizen's advice and national debt line.

Are you getting all the benefits you are entitled to? Disability? Si gle occupancy council tax reduction? Try contracting your community connector at your GP surgery or debt advice charity. Citrus energy in Ardrossan.

Who is “we”?
You’re not living alone? Who do you live with and why aren’t they paying the bills with you?

What are you qualified to do? Are there no work from home jobs in your field?

Considering you are accessing the Internet to post they are correct, you are capable of topping up because you can top up online.

You are being ridiculous. You need to take responsibility for the mess you have got yourself in and start paying your bill.

No one gets reduced rates for energy. The only way you can pay off your debt and have an energy supply is with a prepayment meter.

You cannot move until the debt has been paid off.

True!

Does your granddaughter live with you? How many adults in the house?

it’s good you have a years breathing space, but if you owe 2 grand then you’ve not paid for a long time and you use way more than 50 a month, which means the debt is going to grow hugely in that time , the 50 won’t even cover what you use each month, never mind touch the debt. And it means this time next year it’s going in come hell or high water

so you need to try to find a solution here , as the year will pass quickly . A-plying for pip is one element, but as you don’t live alone. Then are the other adults contributing?

Its just me and 2 x granddaughters after their mum took off.

Someone else from SP emailed me this morn and arranged to call me. It was from the welfare department, they asked me what I could realistically afford to pay bearing in mind my monthly usage is £158, I said I could pay £50 and she said that because my monthly usage was way above my affordability and I have vulnerabilities, I'm diabetic and have a back injury they weren't going to ask me to pay and I won't be cut off. She advised me to contact stepchange (I already have a few times) and apply for any hardship funds for energy users. So that's a massive relief and hoping to hear back from pip soon. Thank you.

No other adults. I was a translator for the deaf community but its difficult getting work from home jobs in that field.

@ThisBlueCrab yes I have access to the internet, however I dont need to stretch or bend to use the internet and with a prepayment meter if your credit runs out your electricity and gas goes off, which isn't suitable for the medication I'm on.

@EatCrow neither of those are true, as I've found out today from sp

Are you moving to a new energy supplier?

Don’t you have to have a prepayment meter now?

No, scottish power have canceled the warrant for the prepayment meter being installed and have said i can't afford to pay so they aren't going to chase me for payment but have told me I can apply for hardship payments and emailed me links

Well, that is amazing OP! I consider myself well and truly educated. I guess Scottish Power can afford to be generous now after being robbing bastards for years, I’d like to get my money back!