ENERGY EQUALITY
22
The Citizens Advice's Audrey Gallacher talks energy & pricing.
“ f someone on
I
pre-payment defaults
the consequences are
severe – they’ll be cut off.”
Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy, CAB.
It’s the way 4.4 million Scottish, Welsh and English
households including some of the poorest and most
–
vulnerable – are forced to pay their energy bills. But according
to a new consumer campaign, the pre-payment meter system
is restricting people’s ability to access fair rates and tariffs
and driving them deeper into debt and fuel poverty.
Citizens Advice say consumers are being forced to accept
higher charges and less choice than direct debit clients
because of the way they are billed. As a result they’re
spending 17 per cent and an average £80-a-year more than
un-metered customers – a significant chunk of household
income for those on the lowest incomes.
Now Citizens Advice have launched their 'Fair Play for Pre
Pay' campaign to expose and challenge these inequalities and
lobby energy firms to provide better tariffs and conditions.
Here Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at the service,
explains more about the wide-reaching campaign.
She says: “Energy bills are a huge expen