Recommendation 26

For consumers struggling to pay their bills, affordability challenges relating to paying for these essential services and other household spending categories are inter-connected. Ofgem-commissioned research into the causes of energy debt indicates that some customers may in principle be able to pay an energy bill, but they would then fall into debt on other bills.74 Written evidence submitted by Money Wellness highlighted that the customers they supported in 2026 had an average of seven different debts simultaneously, illustrating the complex and overlapping nature of financial difficulty.75 67 Q 15 68 Q 66 69 C&AG’s Report, para 17 70 Q 3, 16 71 MoneySavingExpert, EDF, E.on and Octopus Energy launch limited trials of ‘low Standing Charge’ tariffs 72 WEB0017 73 Q 6 74 C&AG’s Report, para 3.15 75 WEB0017; 18