Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, said: “Energy debt not only affects millions of vulnerable households, but it’s impacting the cost of the energy system as a whole, raising bills for everyone.
“Since the energy crisis, the price of energy has remained high and the subsequent problem of increasing debt needs to be urgently addressed.
“Writing off £500 million of historic debt could be a lifeline for the 195,000 customers identified by this proposal, but it’s important that any plans prevent these issues from building up again.
“When people move home, if they don’t contact the energy supplier to set up an account, suppliers can find it difficult to pinpoint who is responsible for the bill.
“These unknown ‘occupier’ accounts that remain unpaid are estimated to add more than £1 billion to the debt pile that we all end up paying for, costing the average household an extra £52 a year – so this is a sensible area for the regulator to focus on.”
ENDS
For more information
Rianna York | Energy PR Manager
rianna.york@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.