Energy firms must try to contact a customer at least ten times and conduct a "site welfare visit" before they can forcibly install a prepayment meter, according to new guidelines.
Workers will also have to wear cameras or sound recorders to make sure the updated code of practice from energy regulator Ofgem is being adhered to.
Forced installations should also not take place in the homes of people with severe health issues - including terminal illness - and for those 85 and over who don't have someone to care for them
People with a health condition that would be made worse by a cold home - such as emphysema and sickle cell disease - will also be protected, as will people who require continuous electricity for medical equipment.
Rules previously stated prepayment meters should not be installed in the homes of vulnerable customers.
However, a Times investigation found debt collectors working for British Gas had forced their way into homes to do installations.
In February, Ofgem asked suppliers to temporarily suspend the practice of forced installation.
The rules around prepayment meters have now been revised in consultation with government, stakeholders and industry.
However, the new code has been criticised by some groups for not offering enough protection for vulnerable people and because it is not legally binding - though Ofgem said it is consulting on making it so.
Prepayment meters are 'pay-as-you-go' and require top-up payments to provide gas and electricity. Power is cut off if no payment is made.
They are installed when a customers is in debt to avoid them amassing higher bills. Providers can also remotely switch someone to a prepayment system.
Official figures showed more than 94,000 prepayment meters were installed in 2022.
However, prepayment can be more expensive than regular bills, something the chancellor said would end in July.
The new code also states that £30 credit should be given when a meter is forcibly installed to prevent the risk of households being immediately cut off.
And once a customer has repaid any debt, their case must now be reassessed to see if a prepayment meter is still the best option.
Ofgem said it would closely monitor adherence to the new code.
Companies must also set out a plan on how they will implement it - as well as doing an audit to identify people who had prepayment meters wrongfully installed.
These people should be offered compensation and a return to regular billing.
Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley, said forced installations "must be as a last resort, and customers in vulnerable situations will be given the extra care and consideration they deserve".
He added: "This new Code of Practice means, for some people, PPMs should never be installed, and, for high-risk groups, their energy needs must be protected with a higher level of consideration..."
All British suppliers have signed up and Ofgem is looking at incorporating it into firms' licence agreements - which would make it legally enforceable.
Citizens' Advice boss Dame Clare Moriarty said the new code was a "much-needed improvement".
"It's now up to suppliers to follow the rules and for Ofgem to crack down quickly on any sign of bad practice," she said.
"The regulator must also act swiftly to make this voluntary code mandatory."
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However, some groups have said the new guidelines don't go far enough.
Disability equality charity Scope said it still allowed prepayment meters to be fitted in some disabled households.
"We want to see the forced installation of meters and remote switching banned outright for disabled people," said a spokesperson.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said the change "simply does not go far enough and the fact it is voluntary undermines its objective".
He said "really vulnerable groups" had been "omitted from its full protection".
"We have serious concerns about how it will be implemented, such as how people will prove their medical conditions without being humiliated by an energy firm health inspection," added Mr Francis.
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2023-04-18 06:33:45Z
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