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Household Bills

Cold-snap set to push energy bills even higher

Tahmina Mannan
Written By:
Tahmina Mannan
Posted:
Updated:
14/01/2013

The recent cold-snap will add an extra £7 a week to households’ energy bills, according to uSwitch.com.

All of the ‘Big 6′ energy suppliers have hiked up prices this winter, with the last supplier, E.ON’s price rise in effect from the 18th of this month.

According to the report, the average household energy bill has now hit a record £1,352 a year, with heating accounting for 44% of the bill.

uSwitch says that if the freezing winter weather continues for a month, consumers could be facing an additional £30 on their next energy bill.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, said: “It costs just over £3 a day on average to heat a home, but during a severe cold snap this could easily rise by £1 a day.

“If freezing weather sets in for a month, it’s perfectly feasible for households to see an extra £30 added onto their next energy bill and this will be a real struggle for some.

“The worry is that many households will try to make ends meet by cutting back on their heating.

“This is why it’s so important that households with an elderly resident check whether they are eligible for winter fuel payments, and why those on benefits such as pension credit, make sure they get the cold weather allowance.”

Consumers are also urged to check that they are on the most competitive energy plan. Households should shop around to find the best deal depending on how much energy they use.

Lyon added: “Moving to a better deal will mean paying less for the energy you use, which could make all the difference when temperatures plummet.

“And instead of going without heat, adopting simple energy efficiency measures is a safer way of reducing the amount of energy you use. These two simple steps are everyone’s best defence against the high cost of energy this winter, and for many winters to come.”

This comes as a recent report by insurers, Saga, highlighted pensioners faced a staggering £17.4bn electricity and fuel bill last year as figures revealed fuel bills for the elderly have doubled since 2005.

The average yearly spend on fuel bills for the over 65s in the past year was £1355.90 which has more than doubled from £668.98 in 2005.


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