Household energy debt has tripled in past decade, per report
Household energy and council tax debts have surged due to rising bills and reduced support, with poorest families owing on average over £1,500, research shows.
- Close to a million electricity and a million gas customers were behind on their bills, driven by a 50% increase in gas costs per unit during the energy crisis.
- The combination of reduced council tax support and rising bills increased the burden on the poorest households, with average debts topping £2,000.
- The report calls for improved council tax support, a social tariff on energy bills, a debt relief scheme for historic energy arrears, and actions to build household financial resilience.
15 Articles
15 Articles

Worrying report claims UK household energy debt has tripled in past decade
British household energy debt has tripled in a decade as cost-of-living pressures push families into arrears on priority bills, according to a…
Dramatic rise in number of households in energy debt as winter bills loom - The Mirror
A report has revealed a huge increase in energy debt among UK household, along with a big rise in council tax arrears, as more than a million UK households owe money to suppliers
Household energy debt has tripled in the last decade - Credit Connect
The number of customers falling behind on their electricity bills with no repayment plan in place has more than tripled from 300,000 in 2012 to over one million at the end of 2024, with the number of customers falling behind on their gas bill also tripling from 300,000 to 900,000 over this period according to latets Resolution Foundation research. The report notes that the 13 million working-age families across the poorer half of Britain still s…
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