Home energy debts partly due to complicated bills

Uswitch.com has claimed that almost half of all households may be paying too much for their gas and electricity because the bills are too complicated to understand, according to The Telegraph.

Researchers asked maths experts from examination board Edexcel to analyse bills. It concluded that understanding many bills requires a decent knowledge of subtraction, multiplication, division and percentages, with information often spread across several pages.

Energy companies have already been criticised for not changing direct debits quickly enough in response to price changes. When prices rose sharply last year, this meant that many people underpaid on their bills and ended up in debt on their accounts.

A spokesperson for debt management company Gregory Pennington said: "Many people have unknowingly fallen into debt on their energy bills in recent months, and this may in part be due to bills which could be simplified.

"Billpayers can keep up to date on their bills by taking meter readings on a regular basis and asking their providers whether they are paying the right amount. It`s worth taking this simple measure if it means avoiding debt."

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Gregory Pennington offer debt management plans as well as a range of other debt solutions. If you are worried about debt, contact one of our expert debt advisers now.