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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Miranda Bryant

UK energy firms ‘chasing customers to pay more than they can afford’

Pensioners protest over rising fuel prices outside Downing Street earlier this month after the regulator raised the price cap on gas.
Pensioners protest over rising fuel prices outside Downing Street in London earlier this month after the regulator raised the price cap on gas. Photograph: Guy Smallman/Getty Images

Energy companies are adopting increasingly aggressive debt collection practices and sharpening their communications with customers to increase profits, a leading fuel poverty charity has warned.

National Energy Action (NEA) said householders are being forced into significantly worse situations than in previous years, including higher direct debits without change of usage, unaffordable debt repayment plans and prepayment meters, as energy companies accelerate debt collection to recoup costs.

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