More than nine million households are heading into winter either in debt to their energy supplier or with no account credit, according to a survey.
Research by Uswitch indicates that two in five households (40%) feel more anxious about paying for energy this winter compared with last year.
Direct debit payments are designed to allow customers to build up credit during summer to cover higher winter energy costs.
However, just 55% of billpayers are in credit this year – down from nearly two-thirds (64%) in 2022.
Even among households in credit, only three in 10 (29%) have saved £300 or…