In the current energy crisis, it is becoming harder for some customers to keep up with increasing energy bills. This may mean missed payments and could leave you concerned about the possibility of the supplier disconnecting your energy supply.
Domestic Customer Energy Supply
If a customer who is using energy mainly for a domestic purpose (Domestic Customer) is having difficulty paying, the energy company are required to offer certain solutions to recoup the charges. These include offering regular instalments or fitting a prepayment meter. The energy company must take all reasonable steps to recover the charges by these means before disconnecting the supply.
Between October and March, the energy supplier may not disconnect the energy supply if it knows or has reason to believe that the Domestic Customer is either (i) of pensionable age and lives alone or (ii) lives only with persons who are of pensionable age or under the age of 18. Further, if the premises’ occupants include a person of pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick, the energy supplier is required to take all reasonable steps to avoid disconnecting the energy supply.
Commercial Energy Supply
If a customer who is using energy mainly for a domestic purpose (Domestic Customer) is having difficulty paying, the energy company are required to offer certain solutions to recoup the charges. These include offering regular instalments or fitting a prepayment meter. The energy company must take all reasonable steps to recover the charges by these means before disconnecting the supply.
Between October and March, the energy supplier may not disconnect the energy supply if it knows or has reason to believe that the Domestic Customer is either (i) of pensionable age and lives alone or (ii) lives only with persons who are of pensionable age or under the age of 18. Further, if the premises’ occupants include a person of pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick, the energy supplier is required to take all reasonable steps to avoid disconnecting the energy supply.
Court Action
If no agreement can be reached, the energy supplier can apply to the court for a warrant to enter the premises and disconnect the supply. The energy supplier will send a notice of the court hearing to the customer, and the customer will have the opportunity to put forward evidence in the hearing about why the warrant should not be granted.
If the court grants a warrant, the supplier must send a notice in writing seven days before coming to the premises to disconnect. However, if an amount is genuinely in dispute, the supplier cannot exercise its power to enter the premises to disconnect the supply.
Dispute Resolution Lawyers
If you have had correspondence from your energy supplier threatening to disconnect your energy supply or a notice of a court hearing for a warrant and need advice, please get in touch with us on 020 7421 9421. Alternatively, please email sols@gordonsols.co.uk, our team of dispute resolution solicitors in Holborn will be happy to help.