Customer worries about energy bills jump, MPs told

Energy company bosses have urged MPs to help with the rising energy bills.

The Times reported that a typical household’s energy bill rose by about £690, or 54 per cent, to £1,971 a year from April 1 after rising gas prices forced Ofgem to increase the energy price cap.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that bills will rise to about £2,800 a year from October, when the price cap is reviewed again.

Keith Anderson of Scottish Power said that his company had received 8,000 calls from customers last week concerned about their ability to pay bills and that without more support, October would be “horrific” for the most vulnerable.

“I honestly believe the size and scale of this is beyond what I can deal with and what the industry can deal with,” he said.

The Times reported: “Simon Rossi of EDF and Chris O’Shea of Centrica also warned of the impact on customers in October. The bosses said that the present energy security strategy failed to address immediate problems for customers, saying that the planning system was too slow and homeowners needed incentives to make homes more energy efficient to reduce demand.”