Millions of households in credit with energy firms

Millions of British households could claim an average of £117 for energy they have paid for but did not use over the winter, figures suggest.

More than 11 million households, or 42%, are in credit to their energy companies, and nearly one in 10 could reclaim more than £200, uSwitch said.

Just 14% of consumers – around 3.7m households – have emerged from winter in debt to their supplier, a survey for the price comparison site found.

Under Ofgem regulations, consumers are entitled to any credit on request, as long as they have provided upto-date meter readings.

But while households could reclaim £1.3 billion in total, 38% of consumers plan to leave their money in their account to cover price hikes.

Almost a third of customers (30%) say they will struggle to pay higher energy bills, while more than one in five (22%) say increases of £100 or more will force them into debt.

Millions of households paying by direct debit overpaid for their energy this winter as a result of warmer temperatures and steps to cut bills, according to uSwitch.

Two-thirds of customers (66%) took some form of action to cut their bills, such as turning down the thermostat.