rising energy costs

With the rising energy prices a recent poll on moneysupermarket.com revealed that the majority of consumers believe they are paying too much for their gas and electricity and that recent price increases are totally unjustified. Five of the big six energy firms - British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon, Npower and Scottish Power - have increased their gas and electricity prices by an average of 15% since the beginning of the year. The typical household now pays more than £1,000 a year for energy - up from around £650 three years ago.
What should consumers?
The message is simple - move to the best deal you can. Despite the recent price increases, there are still significant savings to be made.Six out of 10 households have never changed their energy provider and are still on the standard tariff paying quarterly by cash or cheque. By switching to an online tariff and opting to pay monthly by direct debit, the average household could save up to £260 a year. Which provider works out to be the cheapest, will depend on your consumption and whereabouts in the country you live. A gas and electricity comparison tool should identify the cheapest deal in your area - but here is an indication of how the providers compare:

Provider	Average standard tariff*	Average online tariff**	Saving
British Gas	£1,055	£878	£177
EDF Energy	£1,007	n/a	n/a
Eon	£1,063	£769	£294
Npower	£1,056	£795	£261
Scottish Power	£1,100	£944	£156
SSE	£890	£804	£86

*Payment by quarterly bill.
**Payment by monthly direct debit.
Source: www,moneysupermarket.com March 4 2008 There are a few things to bear in mind when comparing deals at the moment. Remember that SSE has yet to increase its prices, so if you opt for one of its deals, your bills may rise in the next few months. Also, while Eon and Npower have recently hiked the cost of their standard tariffs, the costs of their online deals have not changed, so they too may go up in the near future.Nevertheless, this shouldn’t put you off shopping around. None of the leading providers issue 12month contracts so you can easily move again should your rate rise sharply.
Top Tips From Moneysupermarket.com

 

fixed rate gas bills

Discounted Energy
• Save Money
3% cheaper than ScottishPower’s standard monthly Direct Debit prices for gas and electricity* NB: At launch, this equates to an average saving of £25 per annum on Dual Fuel**
• Guarantee Period
Your prices will remain 3% below ScottishPower’s standard monthly Direct Debit prices until July 2009.
• Convenience
Customers who take gas and electricity from us will receive one combined bill and our Gas & Electricity Offer discount of up to £16.80 per annum (inc. VAT).
• Online Option
Save an additional £15.75 per annum (inc VAT) for Dual Fuel customers by choosing to manage your energy account online or £10.50 per annum (inc VAT) for Electricity Solus customers.
Fixed Price
• No PRICE RISES until March 2011

Your customers can look forward with added confidence to the security of fixed prices until 28th February 2011 with our Fixed Price Energy Offer. Convenience - Customers who take gas and electricity from ScottishPower will receive one combined bill and our Gas & Electricity Offer discount of up to £16.80* per annum (incl. VAT).
*The gas and electricity offer annual discount of £16.80 inc VAT is available in ScottishPower and Manweb former host public electricity supply areas for dual fuel customers paying monthly by direct debit. All other customers who qualify for the discount will receive an annual discount of £10.50 inc VAT
Online Option
Save an additional £15.75 per annum (inc VAT) for Dual Fuel customers by choosing to manage your energy account online or £10.50 per annum (inc VAT) for electricity Solus customers.
* Based on the kWh rate comparison between ScottishPower’s standard monthly Direct Debit prices and ScottishPower’s Discounted Energy Offer. **** Saving shown based on comparison between ScottishPower’s Standard average domestic Dual Fuel bill and ScottishPower’s Discounted Energy Offer Dual Fuel bill for a customer supplied on Standard Rate electricity using 3,300kWh and 20,500kWh of mains gas each year who pays monthly by Direct Debit. Based on an average Dual Fuel bill across.

british gas price rise

On January 18th 2008, British Gas was the next Utility supplier to increase prices. You can save money by making sure you are on the correct price plan/utility supplier. To do this, you should you a Compare service.

Uswitch can save you time and money - click here

Money Super Market - click here to compare utility bills

• British Gas prices going up by 15% or £85 for gas and 15% or £54 for electricity
• Average household bill for a dual fuel British Gas customer will go up from £912 to £1,051 - only £64 cheaper than when prices were at an all time high
• Gas customers will suffer most, as British Gas will now be the most expensive supplier for gas - gas bills will go up from £568 to £653 a year
• Increases are on standard tariffs - over half its 16 million customer accounts will be affected
• British Gas reported record half year profits of £533 million, but Citigroup predicts that year end profits will hit almost £639 million - more than six times the £95 million it made in 2006
• Average British Gas dual fuel bill rocketed by 85% or £513 (2004 - 2006) but only fell by 19% or £208 last year.

compare utility bills

  Energy firm Npower has announced double-digit rises in the price its domestic customers will have to pay for gas and electricity - with industry observers saying that other companies are likely to follow suit.

So is now the time to reconsider who provides your energy?

Save money by comparing prices from Leading Utility providers and by companies who are dedicated to comparing prices such as Uswitch.  Compare UK suppliers of gas and electricity, with information including reviews and personalised quotes. We also provide a range of pages on gas suppliers, electricity suppliers and other energy topics.

Compare home phone deals from the UK’s leading providers.

Are you spending too much every month on your mobile phone? Could you save money? Compare the latest deals

Compare the features and prices of the UK’s leading broadband suppliers, including AOL Broadband, BT Broadband, and Virgin Media Broadband.