Domestic energy customer credit balances, January 2025 to December 2025

Publication type:
Data
Publication date:
Topic:
Consumer protection,
Electricity supply,
Gas supply,
Financial resilience

This data represents approximately 17 million households who pay for their energy by fixed Direct Debit and hold a credit balance. All figures and balances are net of unbilled consumption.

Main points

  • Across the 12 months ending December 2025, households in credit who pay for gas and electricity by fixed Direct Debit held an average total credit balance of £3.17 billion.
  • The year-on-year change is a decrease of £113 million from £3.28 billion reported in December 2024. Compared to the year ending September 2025 (the last reporting period) the 12-month average has increased by £78 million.
  • As our reporting progresses, the credit balances continue to follow seasonal patterns with yearly averages seeing gradual movements.  
  • Across the year ending December 2025, the average household credit balance was £199 for fixed Direct Debit customers - a decrease from £215 year on year from December 2024.
  • This 12-month rolling household average of £199 to December 2025 is an increase of £2 compared to the year ending September 2025 (the last reporting period).  
  • The average household energy account for fixed Direct Debit customers was in credit by £212 at the end of December 2025, a year-on-year increase from £206 reported in 2024.

Things you need to know

Energy suppliers’ customer credit balances are an important part of the retail energy market. Details about how energy suppliers should treat customer credit balances are included in the rules in energy licences that set out consumer standards and what suppliers must do to stay financially stable.

The amount of credit that is held in energy accounts goes up and down during the year. Accounts will have more credit in them during the summer but then more is spent in the winter as more energy is used. Each household may have different experiences with how much credit they have on their balance at different times of the year. However, this is the trend that is seen across the energy sector.

Data are for live domestic customers energy accounts that are held by people who pay for their gas and electricity by fixed Direct Debit and have paid for the energy they use.  

The data is only for households whose energy account was in credit on the last day to each quarter from January 2025 to December 2025.

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Methodology

We have removed the amount of energy that has been used but not yet been paid for from the data, as well as any credit held by closed accounts, and those on non-domestic tariffs.

By including the quarterly figure alongside the yearly average, we show how households use their balances to keep how much they pay the same throughout the year.

Further information

This data is published at the end of March, June, September and December each year.

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