An estimated 600,000 people were put onto the pay-as-you-go method last year, with 160,000 more expected by the end of the winter.
Suppliers can use the technology to swap customers onto the prepayment method without their permission.
"I assumed it was a power cut. I had no way to make any calls, so my daughter and I were left in the dark all night with no heating, lights or means of making any food," she told the charity. It said one in five households including someone who is disabled or long-term sick, which ran out of credit last year, went on to spend two days or more without an energy supply.
Ofgem stipulates that certain groups such as disabled people and those with long-term health conditions should not be forced on to a prepayment meter.Last year, regulator Ofgem wrote to suppliers about the issue. He added that Ofgem required energy suppliers to offer solutions for customers in, or at risk of, debt or disconnection.
"A full ban on the forced transfer of customers to prepayment meters, including via smart meter mode switching, is now the only acceptable course of action."Before smart meters existed, energy firms would have to get a warrant to enter your home and physically install a prepayment meter
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