This isn’t the only household bill to have surged during what many are calling “Awful April”<\/a> – follow our series to find out more.<\/p>\n It’s a blow to 22million households on standard variable tariffs which are subject to the price cap, and will see their\u00a0bills<\/a>\u00a0rise from \u00a31,738 to \u00a31,849 per year.<\/p>\n However, many households are likely to incur costs exceeding this headline figure, which is based on the assumption that a typical household consumes 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas annually.<\/p>\n This is because the\u00a0energy price cap<\/a>\u00a0does not limit the total amount a customer pays for their energy.<\/p>\n Instead, it sets a maximum charge per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of\u00a0gas<\/a>\u00a0and electricity, alongside the daily standing charges.<\/p>\n So if you use more than a typical households expect to pay more.<\/p>\n Another factor influencing the amount you pay is the region in which you live.<\/p>\n Energy prices vary by region due to four main factors: the number of customers in an area, the volume of energy purchased from generators, charges imposed by local distribution networks, and regional energy usage patterns.<\/p>\n Areas with fewer customers or higher short-notice energy demand often face higher costs, while densely populated regions benefit from economies of scale.<\/p>\n Additionally, colder regions, such as North Scotland<\/a>, experience higher electricity distribution costs due to increased heating-related energy usage.<\/p>\n What is the energy price cap?Which regions will see the biggest hikes?<\/p>\n North Wales and Mersey are set to face the sharpest increase, with energy bills rising by 9.06%.<\/p>\n This equates to an additional \u00a3161.82 on the average annual bill, bringing the total to \u00a31,947.22 – making it the most expensive region for energy in the UK.<\/p>\n Following closely is the North West, where bills will rise by 8.82%, adding \u00a3150.91 per year.<\/p>\n This will see the typical annual cost increase from \u00a31,710.42 to \u00a31,861.33.<\/p>\n Despite this, the South West will continue to have the second highest overall energy bills from April, with prices increasing by 5.6%, rising from \u00a31,786.79 per year to \u00a31,891.79.<\/p>\n Prices in the East Midlands and London<\/a> will increase by 6.71% (\u00a3113.03) and 6.30% (\u00a3107.68) respectively.<\/p>\n Despite these increases, both regions will continue to have the lowest overall annual energy bills, with costs totalling \u00a31,816.94 in the East Midlands and \u00a31,798.68 in London.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Can I beat the price hikes?<\/p>\n Households considering a switch to a fixed energy deal could still save money compared to remaining on Ofgem’s price cap.<\/p>\n Fixed deals work to protect customers from bill hikes if Ofgem was to increase the price cap in the\u00a0future<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those who lock into a fixed energy deal are charged the same gas and electricity rates throughout the contract’s term.<\/p>\n There is a risk that if energy prices fall, you could end up paying more.<\/p>\n However, analysts at energy consultancy\u00a0Cornwall<\/a>\u00a0Insight have advised that households should not anticipate a significant drop in prices this year.<\/p>\n How do fixed energy deals work?<\/p>\n FIXED deals work to protect customers from bill hikes if Ofgem were to increase the price cap in the future.<\/p>\n Customers on their supplier’s standard variable tariff see their energy prices change every three months, as these are tied to Ofgem’s price cap.<\/p>\n However, those who lock into a fixed energy deal are charged the same\u00a0gas<\/a>\u00a0and electricity rates throughout the contract’s term.<\/p>\n Of course, doing so carries a slight risk of you paying more than those on the standard variable tariff if Ofgem’s\u00a0energy price cap<\/a>\u00a0were to fall within your deal’s term.<\/p>\n However, this risk is minimal as analysts at Cornwall Insight predict that the energy price cap will only slightly to \u00a31,756 a year from July.<\/p>\n From today, those on the standard variable tariff (SVT) will have their rates capped by\u00a0Ofgem<\/a>\u00a0at the following levels:<\/p>\n For a typical household that uses an average of 11,500kWh of gas and 2,700kWh of electricity every year, these rates will\u00a0cap\u00a0bills<\/a>\u00a0at roughly \u00a31,849.<\/p>\n As this is only an estimate for a typical household, if you use more energy, you’ll pay more.<\/p>\n So, if you’re offered a fix that’s cheaper than April’s price cap, it’s always worth considering.<\/p>\n How can I find the cheapest fixed deals?<\/p>\n To find the best fixed energy deals, start by visiting price comparison websites, which aggregate various offers from different energy suppliers.<\/p>\n The best sites include Uswitch.com and MoneySavingExpert’s Cheap Energy Club.<\/p>\n Enter your postcode and current energy usage details to receive a list of available deals tailored to your needs – it’ll take you less than five minutes.<\/p>\n You’ll then be able to compare the rates, contract lengths, and any additional\u00a0features<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0benefits<\/a>\u00a0offered by each deal.<\/p>\n Next, visit the websites of individual energy suppliers to check if they have exclusive deals that are not listed on comparison sites.<\/p>\n Sometimes, suppliers offer special promotions or discounts directly to customers.<\/p>\n Compare these offers with those on the comparison websites to ensure you get the best possible rate.<\/p>\n Finally, consider customer service reviews and the overall reputation of the suppliers.<\/p>\n Once you have identified the best deal, follow the instructions to switch your energy provider.<\/p>\n How can I check future price cap predictions?<\/p>\n EDF Energy has launches a brand new Ofgem price cap prediction tool on its website.<\/p>\n The energy company updates the tool with new information about changes to the cap on energy prices every Tuesday.<\/p>\n It also includes advice on how this affects your energy tariff choices.<\/p>\n You can find out more by visiting www.edfenergy.com\/gas-and-electricity\/price-cap-predictions.<\/p>\n What are the alternatives?<\/p>\n Customers unwilling to commit to long-term fixed energy deals may want to consider flexible tariffs.<\/p>\n Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at comparison site\u00a0Money<\/a>\u00a0Supermarket Group, says: “These will almost always be at or below the price cap.”<\/p>\n For example, E.ON\u00a0Next<\/a>‘s Pledge variable tariff offers a fixed discount of around three per cent on the price cap rates for 12 months.<\/p>\n It will save the average household around \u00a350 a year but comes with a \u00a350 exit fee if you switch before the year ends.<\/p>\n The deal is available to both new and existing customers.<\/p>\n British Gas<\/a>‘s Price Cap Guarantee and EDF Energy’s Ensure Tracker work in a similar way and also offer a \u00a350 discount off the price cap’s charges for 12 months.<\/p>\n For a bigger reward but at a higher risk,\u00a0Octopus Energy<\/a>\u00a0offers two variable tariffs which track wholesale gas and electricity costs.<\/p>\n Customers using the Octopus Tracker experience daily price fluctuations, but electricity rates have largely stayed below the price cap over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n For instance, over the last 30 days, households in southern\u00a0England<\/a>\u00a0on the Octopus Tracker paid a maximum of 28.5p per kWh for electricity.<\/p>\n However, gas prices have generally been higher, with customers paying an average of 7.07p per kWh for gas.<\/p>\n The Agile Octopus tariff works similarly to the Octopus Tracker, but the main difference is that the former’s prices change every half hour.<\/p>\n Those wishing to switch to any of these tracker tariffs must have a smart meter.<\/p>\n What energy bill help is available?<\/p>\n There’s a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you’re struggling to get by.<\/p>\n If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.<\/p>\n This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.<\/p>\n If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better\u00a0deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several\u00a0energy firms have schemes<\/a>\u00a0available to customers struggling to cover their bills.<\/p>\n But eligibility criteria vary depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.<\/p>\n For example,\u00a0British Gas<\/a>\u00a0or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to \u00a32,000.<\/p>\n British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.<\/p>\n You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.<\/p>\n EDF, E.ON,\u00a0Octopus Energy<\/a>\u00a0and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.<\/p>\n Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).<\/p>\n The service helps support vulnerable\u00a0households<\/a>, such as those who are elderly or ill.<\/p>\n Some of the perks include being given advance warning of\u00a0blackouts<\/a>, free\u00a0gas<\/a>\u00a0safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.<\/p>\n Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AN interactive map has revealed how much energy bills are going up in your area TODAY. Ofgem‘s energy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[939,487,931,393,13,476,257,940,12,941,895,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-1404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-cost-of-living","10":"tag-energy-bills","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-inflation","14":"tag-london","15":"tag-money-saving","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-ofgem","18":"tag-section-moneynews-money","19":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114266985157686275","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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