Commentary on Sections Chapter 4: Further Provisions about Regulation Section 181: Prepayment meters
446.Section 181 provides GEMA with the power, with the consent of the Secretary of State, to make regulations to extend the range of sums that could be collected from a prepayment meter. GEMA is required to consult interested parties, including the Gas and Electricity Consumers Council, before making regulations.
447.At present, sums recovered through a prepayment meter may only be in respect of an individual fuel and may only be in respect of supply to the premises at which the meter is sited or the provision of the meter. The section makes clear that the extended range of sums that could be collected includes debts owed to a person other than the current gas or electricity supplier, debts accrued in respect of other premises, or debts accrued in respect of the supply of other fuels. Any sums covered by the new regulations may only be recovered with the agreement of the consumer, the circumstances in which such an agreement may be made being set out in the regulations.