British Gas prepayment clients will soon pay the same price for gas as direct debit customers, with the same discount for electricity staying.

This week brings good news to almost one million British households, as energy customers will soon pay less for their bills, alleviating the present cost of living problem.

Beginning on Saturday, April 1, British Gas customers with prepayment metres will pay the same price for gas as those with direct debit and will maintain the same discount for electricity prepayment metres.

Those who receive both gas and electricity from the company will save an average of £59 annually. British Gas has resolved to press for a drop in prepayment metre fees as soon as possible.

The Mirror claims that in the recent Spring Budget, the Chancellor prohibited energy firms from charging prepayment clients more after July, but British Gas decided to implement the regulation earlier.

British gas estimates that its prepayment customers will be over £10 million “better off” over the next three months, saving an average of £15 per family.

Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, stated, “We recognise that more assistance is required for prepayment customers, and we support the government’s decision to reduce prepayment prices to the same as direct debit customers.”

“We wanted to do more to support this group of consumers by implementing this change as quickly as possible so that British Gas prepayment customers will immediately benefit.

British Gas has over 1.24 million prepayment clients. However, some 158,000 people only have prepayment power metres and would not profit from the move.

According to recent government data, British Gas, Scottish Power, and Ovo Energy accounted for seventy per cent of all forced installations during the past year.

More than 94,000 prepayment metres were installed forcibly on delinquent customers last year, according to the data.

Last month, it was revealed that debt collectors working for British Gas had stormed into the homes of vulnerable individuals to force-fit meters and that courts had approved applications from energy companies to place metres forcibly.

The energy regulator Ofgem stated earlier this month that it was “indefinitely” extending the prohibition on compulsory prepayment installations, which had been set to expire at the end of March.