According to fuel poverty activists, the number of UK households that are expected to steal about £1.5 billion of natural gas and electricity each year is expected to rise as the energy bill continues to set new records.
The energy industry warns that “desperate” households who cannot pay their bills are increasingly tampering with their gasoline and electricity meters to avoid further debt.
The value of energy stolen from the UK’s energy grid is estimated to be £1.5 billion per year. Ultimately, this is paid through energy bills – an increase of nearly £50 a year.
“As prices continue to rise and energy debt rises, families struggling to pay bills will turn to increasingly desperate measures to stay warm and keep up with bills,” said Matt Copeland, policy director for National Energy Action.
Organized criminal gangs are also increasingly using the power grid to steal electricity from cannabis farms and Bitcoin mining operations. One network operator, North West, serving about 5 million people in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria, said it responds to about 900 calls a month involving suspicious theft.
In recent years, the rise in gasoline and electricity prices has led to a sharp increase in the number of households tampering with their gasoline and electricity meters to avoid paying their bills.
According to the UK’s official energy theft tipoff service, it is estimated that up to 150 homes in every 150 homes have been tampered with energy to secure energy and called on Crimestoppers Hotline about suspicious energy theft, with a record 1,000 times a month.
Tips have climbed about two-thirds since the energy crisis began in 2021, but the group estimates that about 250,000 energy thefts may be reported each year.
Official industry data revealed this month that UK energy debt has climbed to a record £3.9 billion, more than double the unpaid bills before the 2021 energy crisis.
Ofgem, a UK-based industry regulator, published data showing that average petrol and electricity arrears on debt repayment plans rose by 5% from last year to a total of £1,296. For those who don’t pay the debt, the average bad debt electricity is 24% and 26% of natural gas, £1,617 and £1,376, respectively.
It released its findings shortly after the government rose to an average of £1,849 per year in the third consecutive quarter, an average of £1,849 in typical households, or more than double the price before the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused global energy prices in Ukraine.
“It is important that the UK government recognizes this and provides families with a lot of support to reduce their bills through warm housing plans and financial support that will come this winter,” Copeland said.
