The Big Energy Credit Claim Back campaign is set to end on 1 July, the Warm This Winter coalition has said, after more than 20,000 customers joined the drive launched in May to reclaim unused credit from their energy accounts1. The campaign is ending because households need to start saving again for winter, when direct debit payments rebuild the credit pot that covers higher heating use1.
Bill payers who took part claimed back an average of £330, according to a follow-up survey of campaign supporters in the week commencing 10 June1. The protest was organised by Warm This Winter, with backing from 38 Degrees, the National Pensioners Convention and Fuel Poverty Action1. It followed an investigation which found UK energy suppliers were holding over £3 billion of customer credit, with nearly a third of UK households (32%) in credit to their supplier all year, and analysis putting the combined bank interest suppliers earned on those balances at at least £159 million in 20231.
Nearly a third found it difficult to get credit back; 26% felt their direct debits had been set too high, with OVO highest for high direct debits at 31%, followed by British Gas and Eon Next at 29% and EDF at 28%1. Of those who recovered their credit, 56% were paid quickly, 17% waited a fortnight or more, 12% were still waiting at the time of polling and 12% were refused despite being in credit; 28% never attempted a claim1.
"People are fed up with energy suppliers keeping hold of their cash, making millions in interest on it and then customers often struggle to get their money back from reluctant suppliers. It's common sense that after winter, if they have credit on their account it should automatically be returned to them and that's why so many people joined the Big Energy Credit Claim Back."
The coalition is calling on the next government and Ofgem to introduce automatic credit returns after each winter1. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition said it hoped the regulator would introduce a new licence condition requiring credit balances to be refunded after each winter on an opt-out basis1. The National Pensioners Convention said automatic repayment was the answer, and Fuel Poverty Action said money should be refunded automatically, with interest1.
Why it matters for households
Direct debit customers are incentivised with better deals to spread payments across 12 months, building credit from July onwards to cover winter1. Under the current system that return is not automatic, so the money sits with the supplier unless the household asks for it back1. For a home's energy independence, the practical effect is that cash which could be held against future bills, or spent on energy-saving materials, stays on the supplier's balance sheet instead. The research also found 33% of direct debit payers found it hard to understand how their direct debits were calculated, and 32% of UK adults found it hard to understand how much energy they use1. Households in permanent credit are more likely to have low incomes, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said, and may have cut back on energy or other essentials because direct debits were set too high1. Support for households in energy debt is available through the British Gas Energy Trust, and suppliers' obligations are set out in the ECO scheme.
What happens next
The campaign ends on 1 July1. No date has been reported for a decision by Ofgem or the next government on automatic credit returns. The general election had not yet taken place at the time the campaign closed, and the coalition said it would press the next government and the regulator once it was over1.