Gas and electricity firms leave customers routinely 'in credit' - meaning that they are effectively borrowing money from them interest free.
Direct debits levied by gas and electricity providers are too high for millions of households in the UK, a consumer group claimed today.
Which? said that a total of 13 percent of customers are over £100 "in credit" on their Direct Debit plans. The report added that this overpayment is effectively offering energy providers interest-free customer loans.
On average, customers were found to have built up credits of £74 on their electricity tariffs and £84 for their gas. In all, 70 percent of Direct Debit customers are in credit - and 80 percent of all householders are on some form of Direct Debit plan.
Commenting on the overpayments, Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Money, said: "It seems incredible that energy companies can take hundreds of pounds more than they need to from their customers and profit from the interest that this money will earn at our expense."
Which? urged customers to regularly check their home energy meter and to contact their provider if they thought their direct debits were set too high.
Research from industry watchdog Ofgem, released earlier this week, showed that energy customers who paid through prepayment meters were charged around £90 more per year for their gas and electricity. The organisation said that it would work to rectify this price difference through the introduction of new rules.
