British Gas Settles Regulator Probe with £20m Payment
British Gas has agreed to contribute £20 million to a redress fund as part of a settlement following an investigation by the energy regulator into the forced installation of prepayment meters.
Three years prior, it was revealed that debt agents employed by British Gas had unlawfully entered the homes of vulnerable customers to install prepayment energy meters without consent.
The regulator Ofgem stated that British Gas, which has issued an apology for the incident, would also cancel up to £70 million in energy debt owed by vulnerable customers. Some of this debt cancellation is intended as compensation.
Following the investigation, Ofgem prohibited the practice of installing prepayment meters without customer permission in households identified as high-risk.
