Energy Debt and Arrears Statistics

Last updated: 30 October 2026 · Latest data: April to June 2026 (Q2 2026) · Compiled by IVA Advice Online from Ofgem data

How much do households owe their gas and electricity suppliers? Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, collects figures from suppliers every quarter on customers in arrears, customers repaying an energy debt and the amounts owed. This page brings those figures together, with the full quarterly series, prepayment meter data and a download of the data.

Total energy debt and arrears

Ofgem counts two kinds of energy debt. Arrears are unpaid bills more than 91 days old with no agreement to pay them back. Debt is money owed by customers who have agreed a repayment arrangement, including people repaying through a prepayment meter. Both are shown below.¹

Source: Ofgem, Debt and arrears indicators, total financial value of domestic customer debt and arrears.¹ Snapshot on the last day of each quarter.

• Households owed £5.02 billion at the end of June 2026, up from £4.43 billion a year earlier (+13%) and £4.79 billion in the previous quarter (Q1 2026).¹ This is the highest figure since the series began in Q1 2018.
• The total is 4.6 times what it was in Q1 2018 (£1.09 billion).¹
• 75% of the total (£3.76 billion) is arrears with no repayment plan in place. In Q1 2018 arrears and debt on a plan were about equal (£0.56 billion and £0.53 billion).¹

Customers in arrears and repaying energy debt

Use the buttons to switch between the number of accounts and the average amount owed. Ofgem counts electricity and gas accounts separately, so a household with both fuels can appear in both.

Source: Ofgem, Debt and arrears indicators.¹ "In arrears" means a bill unpaid for more than 91 days with no repayment arrangement. "Repaying" means a formal repayment arrangement, including all prepayment customers repaying a debt.

• 1,187,788 electricity accounts and 954,966 gas accounts were in arrears with no repayment plan at the end of June 2026, up 5% and 3% on a year earlier. Ofgem says that's 4.0% of electricity customers and 3.9% of gas customers.¹ For electricity, it's the highest number since the series began in Q3 2012.
• Average arrears were £1,872 for electricity and £1,613 for gas, up 9% and 8% in a year. In Q3 2012 they were £440 and £445.¹
• A further 888,824 electricity and 726,838 gas accounts were repaying a debt under an arrangement, with an average of £842 and £697 still to pay. Ofgem says that's 3.0% of customers for each fuel.¹

Prepayment meters and energy debt

When a customer falls into debt, the supplier can offer a prepayment meter (PPM) that collects a set amount towards the debt each week as well as paying for the energy used. The share of customers repaying a debt who do it through a PPM peaked at 58% for electricity in Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 (series from Q1 2011) and was 40% for electricity and 36% for gas in Q2 2026.¹

Prepayment self-disconnection

If a prepayment customer can't top up, the supply goes off. Ofgem calls this self-disconnection. In Q2 2026, 564,191 smart prepayment electricity customers self-disconnected at least once, and 368,659 were off supply for more than three hours at least once. For gas the figures were 304,248 and 245,056.¹ Gas self-disconnections usually rise in colder months.

Source: Ofgem.¹ Covers smart prepayment meters only. A customer who self-disconnects several times is counted once in the customer columns, and every occurrence is counted in the self-disconnection columns. Figures from Q3 2023 cover all suppliers. The number of meters able to report this is rising, which affects comparisons over time.

Weekly repayments through a prepayment meter, by supplier

Across all suppliers, customers who had a prepayment meter fitted to repay a debt in 2025 paid an average of £6.01 a week towards electricity debt and £4.40 towards gas debt. Repayment plans lasted 365 weeks for electricity and 342 weeks for gas on average.²

Source: Ofgem.² Weighted averages over the four quarters of 2025, for suppliers with prepayment customers repaying a debt. "–" means no figure was published for that supplier.

Disconnections for energy debt

Disconnecting a home for debt has become very rare. Ofgem recorded no electricity or gas disconnections for non-payment in any quarter after Q4 2022.¹ Suppliers must not knowingly disconnect pensioners living alone or with children during winter, and Energy UK members have committed to never knowingly disconnecting vulnerable customers.¹

If you're behind on energy bills

Contact your supplier as early as you can. Suppliers must offer ways to pay that take account of what you can afford. If energy arrears are one of several debts, our guides explain how to clear your debts yourself, which debts can be included in an IVA and how living costs, including energy, are allowed for in an IVA. You can also compare debt management plans, debt relief orders and bankruptcy, including the downsides of each. Our council tax arrears page covers the other household bill people most often fall behind on.

About the data

• Ofgem regulates energy in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland has a separate regulator, so it isn't included.¹
• Only debts and arrears that have existed for more than 91 days (13 weeks) are counted. You may see higher totals quoted elsewhere that use a different definition.¹
• Counts are of accounts, not households or people. Electricity and gas are counted separately.
• Figures are supplied to Ofgem by energy suppliers and can be revised. The total value series starts in Q1 2018, the arrears series in Q3 2012 and the repayment series in Q1 2006.
• Percentage changes and the combined count of accounts in arrears are IVA Advice Online calculations from Ofgem's figures.

Common questions

How much energy debt is there in the UK?

Households in Great Britain owed energy suppliers £5.02 billion in debt and arrears at the end of June 2026 (Q2 2026), up 13% on a year earlier. This counts only debts more than 91 days old. £3.76 billion was arrears with no repayment plan and £1.26 billion was debt being repaid under a plan. Source: Ofgem.

How many people are behind on their energy bills?

At the end of June 2026, 1,187,788 electricity accounts and 954,966 gas accounts were in arrears with no repayment plan, around 4% of customers for each fuel. Another 888,824 electricity and 726,838 gas accounts were repaying a debt to their supplier. These are accounts, not households: a home with both gas and electricity in arrears is counted once for each fuel.

What is the average energy debt?

For customers in arrears without a repayment plan, the average was £1,872 for electricity and £1,613 for gas in Q2 2026, up from £1,716 and £1,489 a year earlier. For customers repaying under a plan, the average balance left was £842 for electricity and £697 for gas.

Can my energy supplier disconnect me for debt?

Suppliers can, in limited circumstances, but in practice it has stopped. Ofgem recorded no disconnections for debt in any quarter since Q1 2023. Suppliers more often ask customers to repay through a prepayment meter. People on prepayment can still lose supply if they can't top up: 564,191 smart prepayment electricity customers self-disconnected at least once in Q2 2026.

Can energy arrears be included in an IVA?

Arrears you already owe to a gas or electricity supplier can usually be included in an IVA, a debt relief order or bankruptcy, as they're unsecured debts. Your ongoing energy bills must still be paid, and an IVA budget allows for them as a living expense. See our guide to which debts can be included in an IVA.

Using these statistics

Sources

1. Ofgem, Debt and arrears indicators (quarterly data from energy suppliers, latest data for April to June 2026), chart data downloaded 30 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
2. Ofgem, Debt and arrears indicators: prepayment meter debt repayment rates and plan lengths by supplier, January to December 2025, and Ofgem's chart summaries.

This page provides general information, not advice about your circumstances.