14 July 2008
Consumers could unwittingly be paying too little for their energy bills and leaving themselves in arrears with their provider, it has been claimed. According to consumer charity Citizens Advice, homeowners paying their energy bills via direct debit are only likely to be covering the cost of estimated readings and not the actual amount used. Senior policy officer with Citizens Advice Tony Herbert warned: "Families can rack up huge fuel bills." The organisation has revealed that in some cases people have discovered they owe their energy provider £1,000. "They might have a direct debit set up; they might think they're paying their bills, but because they're paying on estimated readings it may not reflect how much they're actually using," Mr Herbert added. Chelsea Building Society revealed last week that some consumers are using their savings to cover the costs of utility and energy bills as well as accommodation costs and council tax.
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