My worsening mobility means I can no longer get to my electricity meter – what can I do?

After a recent relapse, I can now only move around safely outside the home when using my rollator. It hadn’t occurred to me until I needed to do it, but it is now incredibly risky for me to get down my narrow side passage without falling. I need to do this to read my electricity meter. What can I do?

Have you heard of the Priority Services Register (PSR)? It is a free support service that gives extra help to people in vulnerable situations. You are eligible to join the register if you have a disability or long-term condition.

The PSR will ensure you get priority support in an emergency, make your energy bills as accessible as possible, allow you to nominate someone else to look after your account and the energy suppliers can also offer an identification and password scheme.

Suppliers and network operators will also offer other services for their disabled customers. Some will send a member of staff to read your meters quarterly or they may install a smart meter. If you are a vulnerable customer and are unable to turn your gas and electricity supplies off in an emergency, you might be able to have your electricity or gas meter moved for free. It is worth speaking to your energy supplier and explain the issues you are having. Energy suppliers have a duty under the Equality Act to not discriminate against you and to make reasonable adjustments in the services they provide to ensure that they are equitable for all.

Energy suppliers and network operators both keep priority services registers. It’s a good idea to ensure that your network also has you on their register if you rely on your energy supply for health-related reasons, such as keeping medication chilled or power for an overhead hoist. If your suppliers for gas and electricity are separate you would need to contact both companies as well as your network operator.