Historic utility arrears
Utility arrears — gas, electricity, water, and old debts with previous suppliers — are unsecured debts and can be included in a DRO.
Once the DRO is granted, the supplier cannot pursue the historic arrears. They must stop contact for those debts.
On successful DRO discharge at 12 months, the historic arrears are legally written off.
Ongoing usage continues
Current utility usage (bills for the current period) is not included in the DRO. You need to continue paying your ongoing bills.
If you cannot afford current bills, the supplier must engage with a payment plan — the DRO does not stop ongoing supply obligations.
Prepayment meters
If you had a prepayment meter installed to recover historic debt, the DRO clears the historic debt. Some suppliers will remove the prepayment meter after the DRO; others require you to continue with it.
This is negotiated case by case. Ofgem rules require suppliers to consider swapping back to credit meter arrangements where the underlying debt is resolved.
Continuing supply during and after the DRO
Your supplier cannot disconnect you for the historic debt included in the DRO. They can still disconnect for non-payment of current usage (subject to Ofgem rules) — this is separate.
Some suppliers require a security deposit or move you to a specific tariff after the DRO. This is not automatic and depends on the supplier's policy.