6 March 2008
Poorer customers are paying more for their gas and electricity services, one watchdog has claimed this week.
Energy watch stated that consumers with a prepayment meter pay in some cases 45% more than those who purchase energy online, reports the Times.
On average, these people - in most cases those in poverty and the elderly - pay £225 every year more than their counterparts who use the internet, it said.
An official at the organisation Graham Kerr clamed that this is happening at a time when many people already face financial difficulty.
"Instead of taking from the rich to give to the poor, it seems that energy companies are taking from the poor to give to the rich," he told the publication.
He added that the outfit has "hard evidence" of the behaviour from the six largest energy firms, including British Gas and npower.
This week, the prime minister Gordon Brown warned energy providers that they will be hit by windfall tax unless they aid poorer customers if prices rise.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.