Sorry for the delay. Herewith the next instalment...
Re: Consumer rights
Switching a meter between credit and prepayment is hardly a frequent event for most householders. Less frequent than the visual meter inspections the energy companies are required to conduct every two years for safety reasons.
To suggest remote switching is a meaningful "consumer benefit" of reprogrammable smart meters is a sign of the paucity of British Gas's arguments.
It?s also very 
that they?re trying to portray prepayment meters as not a form of disconnection.
Disconnection every time payment runs out is the raison d'être of prepayment meters. Indeed Ofgem wrote to the energy companies in 2010 ("Interim guidance ? remote disconnection and remote switching to prepayment") making clear they consider full disconnection, load limiting (aka trickle disconnection) and the installation of prepayment meters all to be potential "stopping of supply". However, prepayment meters circumvent the explicit regulation that energy companies are not permitted to actively disconnect pensioners, families and vulnerable people during the winter. Which is how this bloke with learning difficulties ended up without hot water or central heating for an entire winter.
I?m also not impressed at BG planning to remove practical safeguards and telling us to "rest assured" because regulations still exist.
The energy industry doesn?t exactly have a history of abiding by regulations, or showing administrative competence. In fact 18 months ago BG?s Chief Executive was asking customers for forgiveness, agreeing with Eon and EDF that the industry has a long way to go to create trust.
Hardly surprising.
? Two energy companies have recently been fined millions of pounds by Ofgem for mis-selling and three more are being investigated.
? Energy companies continue to demand back payments for more than a year when their billing was at fault, even though their own code of practice bans this.
? One lucky MNer woke up to find an energy company had amended her Direct Debit to take £800-odd quid out of her bank account without any warning, breaking banking regulations and IIRC breaching the one-year back payment rule as well. (Chat thread now alas gone).
? The energy companies are infamous for their inaccurate records. Among other things, they don?t know where their meters are, as another MNer discovered ("British Gas are bastards and i hate them and they smell of poo."), and she?s by no means unique. Those happen to be BG examples, but there?s no shortage of others in consumer sites and columns.
? Worse, energy companies often seem incapable of correcting their records or halting proceedings even when they?ve agreed they are at fault. Again, no shortage of examples, but I feel Lisa Ferguson spoke for us all when she took British Gas to court for harassment. (BG settled out of court ? but only after two years trying to block the case. As one of the appeal judges put it, "5. British Gas says it has done nothing wrong; that it is perfectly all right for it to treat consumers in this way, at least if it is all just done by computer.")
? This magistrate, in one session this year, refused 50% of an energy company?s applications for entry warrants to switch meters. More from him/her and comments at ?WARRANTS OF ENTRY AND APPLICATIONS TO DISCONNECT UTILITY SUPPLY?
? Incompetence and sharp practice aside, Ofgem points out, "Where the supplier has the ability to remotely disconnect or remotely switch the customer to prepayment terms, there is no operational need to physically visit the premises. However, visiting the premises is often the only way vulnerability can be detected."
But knowing all of this, British Gas et al would like us to set aside existing physical and procedural safeguards when they forcibly switch people to repayment meters, because doing so remotely is cheaper for them? Ah, get lost.