If you've noticed that your direct debit for energy bills has increased significantly, you may be wondering if it's fair. After all, the whole point of paying by Direct Debit is to spread out your energy costs evenly throughout the year. It's normal to have a credit balance during the winter months, but heading into summer, you shouldn't need such a large credit balance on your account. If you're concerned about the amount of credit you have, you can check out Martin's blog on how much energy bill credit you should have.

However, if you're in credit and your Direct Debit is rising significantly above the rate rise, there may be an issue. To make sure you're paying the right amount, you can use our Energy Price Cap calculator. We also recommend reading our full Energy DD help guide. In summary, the first step is to do a meter reading so that your direct debit estimate is based on your current usage. Once the reading has been processed, you can call your energy provider and politely ask them to justify the increase. Under energy firm licence conditions, you have the right to a "fair Direct Debit". If your provider cannot explain the reason for the increase, you can ask for your Direct Debit to be lowered.