# Energy debt fears plaguing UK households

By Simon Francis — 2026-06-15

With energy prices set to rise by 13.5 per cent next month and another energy debt crisis predicted to hit next winter, new figures released have revealed that UK households are already struggling to cope with the weight of energy debt.

The research by Opinium for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition reveals that three in 10 (31 per cent) UK adults are currently in debt to their energy company or worried about falling behind, increasing to over four in 10 (45 per cent) parents with a child under 18 and 35 per cent of disabled people. Among those in energy debt, the median amount owed to an energy supplier was £750.

Worryingly, the research indicates that people may be turning to risky borrowing practices in order to stay afloat. One in eight (13 per cent) of those in energy debt or worried about missing payments say they owe money to someone who makes them feel scared, rising to a quarter (24 per cent) of those who are already in arrears.

According to the research, over the last 12 months, people already in energy debt have resorted to a range of drastic measures to reduce their spending, including using less energy by turning the heating off or taking shorter showers (32 per cent), keeping the home colder or warmer than is comfortable (25 per cent) and missing rent or mortgage payments (21 per cent).

More than one in five of those in energy debt have needed to skip meals (21 per cent), while a similar proportion (18 per cent) have turned to a foodbank for support to help cope with energy costs or arrears.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “These figures lay bare the true cost of years of failure to fix energy debt caused by the sharp increases in bills.

“Millions of people are in debt to their energy company or worried about falling behind, and yet the price shock profiteers are posting billions in profits.

“The figures also show that this is a can’t pay crisis, not a won’t pay one. Very few people who are in energy debt are also in high-earning households.

“Instead it is ordinary people who are skipping meals, visiting foodbanks and, most alarmingly, resorting to risky forms of borrowing just to keep the lights on.

“With energy prices rising by another 13.5 per cent next month, the mental and physical health consequences of energy debt will only deepen.

“The energy industry which has caused this debt through its profiteering, must be made to contribute to clearing this debt mountain.”

Canonical: https://experts.pressassociation.com/expert/84/views/9a80e6835d209b90