npower is to put its prices up by 10.4% or £139 for gas and electricity with effect from 1st December 2013
Increase blamed on the increasing cost of delivering energy to homes, fulfilling Government schemes and the increasing cost of the raw materials they use to generate energy
Average household bill for a dual fuel npower customer will now go up from £1,352 to £1,491 a year .
Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at Uswitch.com, says: “With three of the big six energy suppliers hiking their prices, consumers will be going into winter with heavy hearts and lighter wallets. The fear is that even more will feel forced to turn down and switch off in an attempt to keep their energy bills under control. This type of sacrifice is unpalatable at the best of times, but intolerable if we experience a real winter freeze.
“As energy becomes less and less affordable, the more we will see people rationing and going cold. The knock-on cost in misery and the potential impact on health and well-being could be immense. Consumers are paying a steep price for the fact that successive governments have failed to put affordability at the heart of energy policy.
“It’s not worth waiting for the politicians – rhetoric and hot air won’t keep you warm this winter. If you want to protect yourself then the time for action is now. There are some great fixed price deals on the market which can protect you from price hikes for anything up to four winters. Now is also the time to reduce the amount of energy you use – not by going cold, but by making your home as energy efficient as possible. These two steps could be enough to keep your bills affordable and your home still warm.”
Average household energy bills:
|
British Gas
|
£1,340
|
£1,471
| |
EDF Energy
|
£1,332
|
£1,332
| |
E.ON
|
£1,370
|
£1,370
| |
npower
|
£1,352
|
£1,491
| |
ScottishPower
|
£1,368
|
£1,368
| |
SSE
|
£1,354
|
£1,460
| |
Average
|
£1,353
|
£1,415
|
1. npower announcement: Monday 21st October, 2013. 2. Based on a medium user customer using 3,300 kWh of electricity and 16,500 kWh of gas, on a standard Dual Fuel plan, paying quarterly by cash or cheque with bill sizes averaged across all regions.
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