Scottish Gas is the latest energy company to stop back-charging some of its poorest customers with gas and electricity meters.

Energywatch Scotland, the watchdog, said that pressure was now growing on ScottishPower to stop the practice after Scottish Gas joined Scottish Hydro and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) in only applying price rises after meters have been reset.

Energywatch Scotland said that up to 250,000 households were suffering because their token meters had to be recalibrated after each increase.

As a result, customers have built up hundreds of pounds of "back charges" while continuing to pay at the meter at the old, lower tariff.

The problem is thought to have a disproportionate affect on lower-income households, where pre-payment meters are concentrated, and on people most at risk of going into debt.

In some cases, customers have seen their weekly energy bills double over the past year, it was claimed.
Scottish Gas changed its policy this month after Jackie Baillie MSP and Brian Donohoe MP joined energywatch and Citizens Advice Scotland in highlighting the unfair practice of loading the meters with hidden debts.

Energy companies' failure to manually reset electricity meters after the recent spate of price rises has led to hundreds of consumers complaining to energywatch that they were being hit by overnight price rises and increases in weekly expenditure on electricity of up to 138%.

"I strongly welcome the change of heart by Scottish Gas," said Jackie Bailie MSP. "I hope that this will encourage ScottishPower and others to follow suit."

Of the "big six" energy suppliers, Scottish Hydro/SSE, EDF energy and Scottish Gas do not back-date price rises; while ScottishPower, Npower and Powergen continue to resist calls for change from energywatch and parliamentarians at Holyrood, Westminster and Cardiff.

"Political support has been vital in getting Scottish Gas to play fair," said Graham Kerr of energywatch Scotland. "ScottishPower is now isolated as the only major presence in the Scottish energy market to continue with this unfair and damaging practice.

Energywatch Scotland has published new analysis of fuel poverty in Scotland that shows almost one in three households (650,000) are in fuel poverty.

Sources: http://www.theherald.co.uk

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