- 16 million households have £3 billion in energy credit with their suppliers, with homes in credit having around £200 with their supplier on average[1]
- Credit is £179 million higher than last year[2], possibly due to a milder winter, which could help towards likely bill rises later this year
- Credit kept in a household energy account should be around two months of monthly direct debit, but a fifth of households (22%) believe one month or less is reasonable[3]
- One in 10 (12%) have credit balances over £300 and 4% have more than £500[1], yet households are less likely to withdraw credit than last year[4]
- John Routledge of East Sussex built up energy credit of more than £1,000 and plans to withdraw about £300 and leave the rest as a buffer for winter
- Nearly 3.5 million households (12%) are in debt, and owe a total of £549 million to their energy providers – £157 on average per home[1]
- Uswitch.com is advising consumers to check their credit balance and consider maintaining any buffer against higher energy costs later this year.
Energy suppliers are sitting on £3 billion of households’ money[1] – with the average home in credit having nearly £200 with their provider, reveals research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Overall, credit is £179 million higher than last year[2], which may be due to a milder winter than expected and direct debits not changing as quickly as energy rates.
Consumers should usually exit winter with little to no credit, having used it during the colder months. They should start rebuilding their credit levels during the spring and summer when energy usage is generally lower.
However, 16 million households (57%) have credit with their energy supplier at the end of this winter[1].
Households on fixed deals are most likely to be in credit at this time of year, with nearly two-thirds (63%) being in the positive, compared with only half (56%) of those on standard variable tariffs[1].
One in ten consumers (12%) have balances over £300, and 4% have more than £500 with their energy provider[1].
Image: John Routledge
John Routledge, of Lewes, East Sussex, built up more than £1,000 in energy credit after setting his direct debit high as they were relying on electric heaters ahead of a coming installation of solar panels and a heat pump.
His energy credit has since fallen to below £700, and he plans to withdraw about half and leave the rest as a buffer against higher winter bills.
John, 71, said: “We relied on electric heaters when we first moved in two years ago, so we set the direct debit quite high. After installing a heat pump and solar panels, our usage has dropped a lot, so I feel more confident about our bills.
“I’m thinking of reclaiming part of that, but I’ll keep some as a safety net since energy prices are so volatile, especially with winter bills and the price cap changes being so hard to predict.”
Three in 10 (31%) households with credit intend to ask for some or all of it to be refunded. Nearly two-thirds of households with credit (63%) plan to leave the money with their supplier to try to reduce their monthly payments. Only 7% will ask their supplier to return their full balance, while a quarter (24%) will ask their supplier to return some of it[5].
Gen Z households are much more likely to ask for their credit to be returned, with only a third (32%) of the youngest generation leaving all their credit with their supplier, compared with four-fifths (82%) of baby boomers[5].
With likely price hikes on the horizon, a quarter of households (23%) are less likely to ask for a refund this year compared with last year. Just under a fifth (18%) are more likely to request some credit back now than they were a year ago[4].
Sheffield is the UK’s energy credit capital, with the average home storing £248 with their supplier, while Norwich has the least, at only £156 – despite having the highest proportion of households in credit[1].
Table: The highest energy credit balances per UK city
| Location | Energy credit | Proportion in credit |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | £248 | 48% |
| Edinburgh | £233 | 62% |
| Manchester | £228 | 55% |
| Leeds | £223 | 58% |
| Southampton | £216 | 63% |
| Birmingham | £214 | 57% |
| Bristol | £213 | 61% |
| Nottingham | £208 | 54% |
| Newcastle | £197 | 59% |
| London | £191 | 59% |
| Brighton | £188 | 61% |
| Plymouth | £181 | 51% |
| Glasgow | £174 | 60% |
| Liverpool | £171 | 52% |
| Cardiff | £159 | 59% |
| Norwich | £156 | 70% |
| UK average | £198 | 57% |
Source: Uswitch.com
Almost a quarter of households (23%) believe they should keep only one month of credit or less to cover higher winter bills, while a fifth (20%) think that three months’ worth is necessary[4].
Uswitch.com is advising consumers to keep around two months of average monthly payments as credit in their energy account to guard against higher energy costs in the coldest months of the year.
Households without a working smart meter should also regularly supply meter readings to their provider to keep their account balance and direct debit level accurate to avoid overpaying.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “More than half of UK households are coming out of the coldest time of year with credit in their energy accounts.
“At this time of year households should generally have used up most of their credit over the colder winter months. However, it is advisable to keep about two months’ worth of payments in energy credit to cover higher winter bills ahead.
“With energy prices predicted to rise in July, households with more than two months of energy credit could consider leaving some of it with their supplier to take some of the sting out of winter bills later this year.
“If you have an excessively high credit balance, you may want to request some of this back, and ask your supplier to check that your direct debit is set at the right level for the amount of energy you use.
“To ensure you are being billed accurately, make sure you submit regular meter readings to your supplier if you do not have a smart meter.”
See how to reclaim excess energy credit with our guide to refunds.
For more information
Rianna York | Energy PR Manager
rianna.york@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research conducted online by Opinium, 24th to 30th March 2026, among 2,021 UK energy bill-payers, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Respondents were asked ‘Thinking about your most recent energy bill from your supplier, which of the following best applies to you and your energy account balance?’ 57% said they are in credit, 12% said they are in debt, and 19% said they are even. 57% of 28.4 million households = 16,131,511. 16,131,511 x £197.68 average credit = £3,188,920,571. 12% of 28.4 million = 3,486,092. 3,486,092 x £157 average debt = £548,639,519. See table for regional breakdown.
3. Respondents were asked ‘How much credit, if any, do you believe is a reasonable amount to keep with your energy supplier to cover higher winter bills?’ 5% said less than one month, 17% said about one month, 22% said about two months’, 20% said about three months.
4. Respondents were asked ‘Are you more or less likely to withdraw your credit now, than you were last year?’ 54% said ‘Neither more nor less likely to’. 18% said ‘more likely’. 23% said ‘less likely’.
5. Respondents were asked ‘What do you plan to do about your energy credit over the next six months?’ 63% said ‘Nothing – leave it in my account to try to reduce my monthly payments’. 15% said ‘Ask my supplier to return most of it (more than half)’, 9% said ‘Ask my supplier to return some of it (less than half), and 7% said ‘Ask my supplier to return all of it’.