Over 2 million UK households are in debt on their electricity bills, The Guardian reported.
As data from energy regulator Ofgem shows, as many as 2,347,511 British households were behind on their electricity bills at the end of June 2022 and 1,858,585 on their gas bills. Both indicators soared by 25% in three months and by almost two-thirds since the end of 2020.
Analysts are seriously concerned that so many UK households are in arrears with their energy bills. According to Peter Smith, the director of policy and advocacy at National Energy Action, energy bills almost doubled in 2022. The full impact of the latest price increase remains to be seen, he said.
On October 24th, Jeremy Hunt, the UK’s new Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced changes in the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The official stated that due to the excessive burden on the state budget, the scheme would be replaced in April 2023. Earlier, Liz Truss, the UK’s former Prime Minister, planned to freeze energy bills at an average of £2,500 a year. The initiative was expected to come into force on October 1st, 2022, and last for two years.
