Household energy debt has surged to £4.43 billion – three quarters of a billion pounds more than this time last year, latest Ofgem figures show.
According to Ofgem data, household debt and arrears have risen from £1.45 billion at the end of 2020 to £3.69 billion in the second quarter of last year and to £4.43 billion a year later.
The regulator also reported that 1,133,683 electricity customers and 926,545 gas customers are in debt without any repayment arrangement in place.
The collective debt is leaving households facing up to an extra £145 a year on their bills to cover the shortfall.
An Ofgem spokeswoman said: “The current levels of energy debt are unsustainable, and this is a challenge that requires action…