Ofgem has opened a consultation on how energy suppliers should handle a home move when the outgoing customer has left but the incoming occupier has not set up an account. Published on 28 October, the proposed guidance is open for responses until 9 December 2026.
This concerns domestic energy supply in Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. It forms part of the government and Ofgem energy-debt strategy, whose scope does not include Northern Ireland.
What is being proposed?
The consultation addresses the remote change of an existing smart meter into pay-as-you-go mode during this gap between named accounts. Ofgem is asking about suitability checks, communication with incoming customers, protections after a switch and monitoring of outcomes.
The full consultation explains that suppliers already have regulatory ability to operate home-move processes. It does not propose making every supplier adopt this particular process. The consultation is therefore not an announcement that all movers must now use prepayment.
The draft guidance remains a proposal. Do not treat a proposed grace period as a current entitlement to free energy, or wait for the consultation outcome before arranging your account.
Practical checks for your move
Before handover, find out which supplier serves the new home and whether its meter is operating in credit or prepayment mode. Contact the supplier promptly to establish your account, confirm the date you become responsible and ask how payment and any top-up arrangements work.
Record the meter readings, meter identifiers and date at each property, with photographs where possible. Keep the supplier's acknowledgement and compare the opening and closing readings with the bills. Our meter-reading record helps keep this information together; it does not notify the supplier for you.
Tell the supplier about support or accessibility needs and ask what arrangements are available. If the meter is in prepayment mode, confirm how to obtain the right account or top-up details before relying on it for your first evening. Use the moving-home utilities guide to plan the handover.
The consultation page explains how interested households and organisations can respond. Its closing date is a deadline for feedback, not a date when the draft protections automatically become law.