Households with British Gas, Octopus Energy and Shell Energy said their direct debits have doubled since the price rise, despite the energy cap being half that, according to MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE).
The website, founded by Martin Lewis, said at least 30 per cent of customers with those companies, who were in credit and on a price-capped tariff, reported their direct debits increasing.
The results were gathered from a survey carried out by MSE between April 26, 2022 and May 3, 2022, with 41,000 responses. The findings showed that across all energy companies, some 25 per cent of customers in this situation said their direct debits had doubled or more.
