03/08/2010
Recent Ofgem statistics on gas and electricity debt and disconnectionsare the tip of an iceberg and highlight worries about the affordability of energy say Uswitch. Key findings fron fuel regulator Ofcom show that:
1.1 million electricity customers and 0.8 million gas customers ‘officially’ repaying a debt;
Number of customers entering into new debt repayment arrangements increased by 19% for electricity and 18% for gas – average level of debt being repaid has shot up from £256 to £277 for electricity and from £209 to £287 for gas.
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com, says: “These statistics are sign of a far bigger malaise and raise a huge question mark over the ongoing affordability of our energy. Ofgem’s numbers are damning enough, but they completely overlook households that owe money to suppliers but are not on an official repayment programme. Our research shows that 5.5 million households owe money to suppliers. When you start to look at both groups side by side you can start to get a true sense of the size and scope of the issue we face over affordability. “
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