STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

WHEN I compare energy deals, each firm quotes an annual price. How do suppliers work out this cost? I. B., Woodburn Green, Bucks.

THESE prices are based on how much power a typical household uses each year.

According to energy watchdog Ofgem, this is 12,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas and 3,100 kWh of electricity. If you use more than this each year, your bill will be higher, and if you use less, it will be lower.

you’ll see these numbers included in the money mail best buy tables on page 60 to give you a better idea of how much you will have to pay. I TOOK out car insurance through Debenhams Personal Finance a year ago. I was supposed to get a £50 gift card, but it never arrived. I have phoned and emailed, but to no avail. L. M., Colchester, Essex.

DEBENHAMS has apologised for the error and has now sent you a £50 voucher. It should have been sent out automatically after you bought your policy, but for some reason was not. I WOULD like to top up two of the existing cash ISAs I hold this year. If I don’t pay in any more than the new annual allowance of £20,000, will I be allowed to do this? H. P., Rotherham, S. Yorks.

UNFORTUNATELY not. you can pay into only one cash Isa in any tax year, so choose which account you want to top up. Or you can open a new one and use that. MY SON is getting married. My wife and I wish to give him £5,000 each as a gift. Do I need to advise the tax authorities? H. R., via email

THERE is no need to tell the taxman. Each tax year, you can give away £5,000 to a child for a wedding or civil ceremony without the gift being added to the value of your estate after you die. you can carry any unused allowance to the next year — but only for one year.