£1,000 energy bill rip-off

ONE in three households are being ripped off by energy firms by nearly £1,000, figures by Ofgem show.

Eight million people have been left to languish on the most expensive tariffs for more than three years, often after a cheap fixed-term deal expired.

Ofgem named British Gas and SSE as the worst offenders, with the largest number of customers sitting on standard variable tariffs. The average Big Six’s standard tariff is £1,151 — higher than the cheapest fixed deal on the market of £824 a year. The difference of £327 means households have overpaid on average by £981 over three years.

Will Hodson, of collective switch organisation The Big Deal, says: ‘The Big Six should be ashamed. We need the price cap to end their exploitation.’