Cash point

As temperatures drop, 23 million households will be forced to ration their energy to keep on top of winter bills.

Research from Gocompare Energy reveals 85% will have to limit energy use to save money and one in 10 will struggle to pay their fuel bill over the colder months.

Many could be paying way over the odds as just a fifth of people have switched their energy supplier in the last year to get a better deal – more than one in 10 has never changed provider. And those languishing on their supplier’s Standard Variable Tariff will be paying top whack – often hundreds of pounds more.

You can get peace of mind against any nasty bill increases over the winter with a fixedrate tariff.

The best fixed-rate deals include Economy Energy’s Online Saver at an average £830, Breeze’s Fixed One-Year Saver at £834, and Avro Energy’s Simple and Superior at £836.

The Mirror’s energy switch service, in association with Energyhelpline, can help you find the cheapest deal for your needs. Visit mirror.co.uk/energy or call 0800 008 7799 to see if you could chop your bill.