Increased energy use to result in debt worries?

People may be facing debt troubles because of the increased use of household energy that has emerged over the last 40 years.

New figures published by the Office for National Statistics suggest energy bills could be causing financial panic for some.

A chapter in Social Trends 40 revealed homes in the UK are now using 155 per cent more domestic energy for lighting and electrical appliances than they were in the 1970s.

The amount of such energy consumed in 1970 was the equivalent of 2.7 million tonnes of oil, but this figure skyrocketed to 6.8 million tonnes by 2007.

According to the study, this escalation is mainly down to the recent growth of household technologies, such as computers, music systems and microwaves.

Domestic energy use rose by 24 per cent in this period, the statistics showed.

In 1970, 39 per cent of such energy came from coal and 24 per cent from gas, but by 2008, coal supply accounted for one per cent while 68 per cent was made up by gas.

The report also found 16 per cent of electricity across the European Union (EU) was generated from renewable sources in 2007.

Out of the 27 countries in the EU that were included in the evaluation, the UK came 18th in terms of the amount of electricity derived from such sources.

Austria, which generated 60 per cent of its energy supply from renewable resources, came out on top.

Research recently compiled by uSwitch.com showed each household in the UK will shell out over £150 a year because the government has introduced hidden taxes to energy bills in an effort to combat climate change.

By Joe Shervin