Is energy access a human right?
When #energy suppliers refuse to serve someone, are they violating #humanRights?
Note:
* heating during the winter keeps people alive
* refrigeration keeps food safe
* some people rely on life-support systems that require electricity
OTOH, the above needs can be met using PV panels, batteries, a tent inside the house for extra insulation, etc. So it’s a messy question.
For the #poll below:
HR=human right
DoHR= #UN Declaration of Human Rights (#UNDoHR)
[ ] energy is a HR both philosophically & per DoHR
[ ] energy is a HR philosophically but NOT by DoHR
[ ] energy is not a HR philosophically but is per DoHR
[ ] energy is NOT a HR philosophically or by DoHR
Thanks for the info. I wonder if those meters take cash, or if they take no money at all and perhaps they are just a remote controlled switch. One of my concerns is whether unbanked people can pay in cash.
They have a plastic key that has to be topped up at a shop which offers the service. You can only pay in cash (something to do with card fraud, apparently). I assume it is the same when they cut people off remotely via their smart meter but I don’t know how the credit is physically transferred to those.
People who survive off grid have ways to meet their energy needs, or they would not survive.
In the UK, the energy companies are not allowed to cut off someone’s supply. They’ve been getting round that by forcibly installing pre-payment meters, a practice which is coming under increasing scrutiny.
I am blocked from #newsAndStar but was able to reach the article this way:
http://web.archive.org/web/20230202102237/www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/national/23293213.british-gas-suspends-force-fitting-prepayment-meters-debt-agent-report/
Thanks for the info. I wonder if those meters take cash, or if they take no money at all and perhaps they are just a remote controlled switch. One of my concerns is whether unbanked people can pay in cash.
They have a plastic key that has to be topped up at a shop which offers the service. You can only pay in cash (something to do with card fraud, apparently). I assume it is the same when they cut people off remotely via their smart meter but I don’t know how the credit is physically transferred to those.