Many households go without power

New figures released by the National Housing Federation show that many households have chosen to go without power in the past 12 months because they could not afford to pay for their energy.

The figures are included in a new survey of prepayment meter customers, who tend to be on lower incomes but can pay up to £330 more per year for their energy than wealthier customers. Around 2.3m homes have a gas prepayment meter, and 3.5m have an electricity prepayment meter.

The survey, carried out by research consultancy Accent, illustrates the stark choice facing many families as they struggle to pay their energy bills.

It found that:

- 14% of gas prepayment meter customers have ‘self disconnected’ over the last year because they cannot afford to top up their meter;

- 9% of electricity prepayment meter customers have self disconnected;

- The average annual household income for prepayment meter customers surveyed is around £16,000.

The NHF is campaigning to persuade the big energy companies to ease the burden on low income families by equalising prepayment meter tariffs with standard credit rates.