One in three has unpaid electricity bills

Unpaid electricity bills were launched in 2024 and even in the midst of economic growth and reduction of it unemployment.

This paradox is seeking to interpret market players by finding out from RAAE’s official data that unpaid electricity bills were launched at € 3.2 billion from € 2.4 billion in 2023.

One in three consumers has unpaid power bills

According to RAAE’s annual report on 2024, one in three electricity consumers (low and average voltage) has unpaid electricity bills.

Specifically in 2024 unpaid electricity bills amounted to around € 3.2 billion and come from 2,593,285 benefits, when the total benefits (average, low and high voltage) is 7,713,583. That is, 32% or one in three do not pay the power providers.

According to market players one of the reasons that launched the arrears is accuracy and cost of living.

It is worth noting that if the 2024 data is compared to 2023 it appears how the number of cash and old customers (those who changed provider) with arrears remains about the same and old customers. In 2024 the total cash was 2,593,285, while in 2023 it was 2,553,408. The amount of unpaid accounts, however, increased.

If one examines the individual information, that is, the number of existing customers and old customers, they will find that in 2024 the number of existing customers with arrears is about the same. Last year it was 1,375,314 and in 2023 it was 1,335,437. But debts almost doubled: 2024 for this category exceeded € 1.7 billion when in 2023 it was 974.9 million euros.

Also in terms of old customers, that is, those who changed provider leaving unpaid bills, he remained expensive both at the cash level (1,217,971) and at the debt level (1,443,495,887 euros).

So one interpretation given is that the amounts in unpaid accounts increased due to the cost of life.

However, agents of the electricity market, however, identify the major problem of debt explosion and in the phenomenon of so -called energy tourism.

That is, to any consumers move from a provider to a provider leaving debts to the previous electricity supplier.

Despite government announcements to address the phenomenon, however, the applicable regulatory framework allows the provider to change even if the customer has debt. The provider is not given the right to cut the current, to cut the meter.

Indeed, as he typically noted in the OT electricity company executive every 1,000 changing customers leaving 2,000 to 3,000 euros in debt to the previous one. To 100,000 to 200,000 customers moving the accumulated debt is around 200 to 300 million euros

This category also includes strategic badgers, who take advantage of the gap of legislation follow the specific tactic of energy tourism … they go from provider to provider leaving debt …

However, one of the problematic points in the case of unpaid electricity bills is the fact that the old debts are maintained at € 1.4 billion. Old debts that came from 1.2 million customers.

It is worth pointing out how unpaid accounts, according to RAAE’s annual report, burdens the charges of providers.

This cost is estimated at around 0.06 euros per kilowatt -hour. And the providers in turn pass it on to invoices. Simply put, if the price of kilowatt is € 0.15, then 0.06 euros come from the feasts that leave customers. It is the amount of burden that is passed on to consumers.

Source: OT