ALMOST 320,000 HOUSEHOLDS WERE unable to pay their electricity bills in full last December, marking a sharp year-on-year increase and pushing arrears to record levels.

New figures published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities show that 319,459 domestic electricity customers were in arrears at the end of December 2025.

That represents an increase of almost 20% compared to December 2024, when 264,458 households were behind on their bills.

Households clearly felt the force of the withdrawal of the Government’s energy credits and price hikes heading into Christmas, as the final two months of the year saw a notable spike.

Customer arrears rose from just over 303,000 in November to almost 320,000 in December, a jump of more than 5% in a single month.

Overall, 14% of domestic electricity customers were in arrears in December, up 1% on the previous month.

Of those, 8% had been behind on payments for more than 90 days, a figure that has remained unchanged since May.

The average amount owed by domestic electricity customers also increased. In December 2025, the average electricity account in arrears stood at €466, up 3% on November and 10% higher than in December 2024.

Gas customers also saw high levels of arrears.

The CRU figures show that 26% of domestic gas customers were in arrears in December, a 1% increase on the previous month. Some 22% had been in arrears for more than 90 days, a rate unchanged since July.

The average domestic gas account in arrears stood at €192 in December, up 4% month on month, though 1% lower than a year earlier.

The regulator said it strongly encourages customers who are struggling to engage with their supplier, noting that suppliers will not disconnect customers who are actively engaging with them.

The latest data also shows persistent pressure on businesses, with 13% of non-domestic electricity customers and 23% of non-domestic gas customers in arrears in December.