More than nine million homes are heading in to winter in debt to their energy supplier or with no credit, a survey suggests.
Some two in five households (40%) are more worried about paying for their energy this winter than last, the poll for Uswitch found.
Direct debits to energy firms are set up to allow households to build up credit over the summer months to cover higher bills over the winter.
However just 55% of billpayers are in credit this year – down from almost two-thirds (64%) in 2022.
Even among those in credit, only three in 10 (29%) have built up £300 or more, while the typical billpayer has between £51 and £100.
Around 3.4 million households – nearly one in eight – are in debt to their supplier, owing an estimated £750 million, or an average of £220 each.
Two-thirds of those in debt (65%) say their supplier has contacted them about how much they owe, but only around one in eight (12%) say they have been helped to arrange a repayment plan.
Ofgem’s energy price cap rose by 3.6% to £1,723 for a typical household on October 1, and forecasters are currently predicting a further rise of around 22% in January.
Uswitch found that 43% of billpayers plan to wear extra layers rather than turn the heating on, and one in 12 (8%) plan to spend less on food to pay for their energy.
Ben Gallizzi, energy spokesman at Uswitch.com, said: “Credit is the cushion that turns a frightening winter bill into a manageable one, but for millions, building a summer buffer for the winter simply hasn’t happened.
“With the price cap forecast to jump by around a quarter in January, it is no surprise that worry is climbing. Nearly a quarter of people feel there is nothing they can do, but a few simple actions could make a huge difference.
“If you are deeply in arrears on your energy account and not sure what to do, speak to your supplier early and ask for an affordable repayment plan. Find out if you could be entitled to support.
“If you are on a standard variable tariff, it’s not too late to act. There are fixed deals on the market well below the predicted January cap.”
The findings come as Citizens Advice warned that another rise in energy bills would hit working families and disabled households particularly hard.
It has called on the Chancellor to use next week’s Budget to commit to additional “crisis support” on top of the Warm Home Discount this winter, and expand help to people in receipt of child benefit and personal independence payment (Pip).
The charity said this would protect disabled households and those with children who need help over the coldest months of the year but currently fall outside the means-tested benefits criteria.
Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: “Our advisers are seeing disabled workers weighed down by massive energy debts, and parents who are working but still unable to cover the costs of basics for their family. That’s why we’re calling for a vital two-step approach this Budget.
“First, the Government must provide immediate, expanded crisis support. Second, it must deliver on its existing commitments to upgrade leaky, cold and inefficient homes by fully funding the Warm Homes Plan.
“The Government has promised to protect living standards, but failing to act on both these fronts risks causing immediate, avoidable hardship now and in future winters, for those who can least afford it.”
