The questions being put to energy suppliers about prepayment now reach beyond the act of fitting a meter. Debt advisers want to know how a household's circumstances are established, who reviews the information and how a customer can challenge an account of their needs before a decision is made.

Ofgem wrote to suppliers on 2 February asking them to pause prepayment meter installations under warrant while reviewing their arrangements. Its letter also called for scrutiny of agents and of internal activity involving remote switches to prepayment mode. The regulator said suppliers remained responsible for the conduct of those acting for them.

The Consumer Desk asked Brightmere about its approach as part of wider questions about household energy debt. A spokesperson said the supplier considered safety, affordability and individual circumstances when discussing payment arrangements. The company said customers who needed additional help could raise that with an adviser and be referred for specialist support where appropriate.

There is no allegation in this report that Brightmere has carried out an improper installation. The questions concern the safeguards suppliers describe and the experience households can expect when they are struggling to pay. Brightmere's statement does not provide an assessment of how every individual case has been handled.

Debt adviser Kamal Brackenby said his concern was how a supplier learned about circumstances that were not visible in an account balance. A customer might find a letter difficult to understand, be uncomfortable explaining health needs on an initial call or have income that varied, he said. The first account of a situation might therefore be incomplete.

'A person does not always arrive with a neat explanation of everything that matters,' he said. 'If the process assumes that silence means there is nothing to consider, somebody who is already finding contact difficult can disappear from the conversation.' He said a useful review should allow information to be corrected or added.

Consumer campaigner Grace Selvane said households also needed to know what a supplier meant by having checked their circumstances. 'I want an explanation the customer can recognise,' she said. 'What did you ask, what did they tell you, and what can they do if the record does not describe their situation?' She was calling for clearer communication across the sector rather than describing a complaint against Brightmere.

Brightmere said it would engage with regulatory requirements and that customers concerned about paying should contact it early. Asked about the role of outside service partners, the spokesperson said the company remained accountable for the service provided in its name. The company did not describe an individual customer's circumstances or identify particular cases in its response.

Brackenby said early contact was useful when a person could manage it, but advice needed to be practical for people who were already avoiding letters or calls. He wanted suppliers to explain the next step plainly and make it possible for an authorised adviser to help. For households with an unresolved question, he said, knowing that a check exists was only the start of understanding how to take part in it.