... just as bills are set to jump after price cap is lifted

MILLIONS of households will see their energy bills go up from April as a result of major suppliers announcing price hikes.

The increases are in response to the rise in the price cap set by energy regulator Ofgem.

This cap sets the maximum price per unit of energy a provider can charge customers on variable or prepayment tariffs. So far EDF Energy, E.On and Npower have pushed up prices and others will do the same.

Sally Jaques, of autoswitching energy service weflip, says: ‘We’d be amazed if other suppliers – large and small – didn’t follow suit.

‘We expect to see standard variable tariffs – ‘default’ rates – rise across the board.’

Rival auto-switcher Labrador says 12.5 million customers who have been with the same supplier for five years should look to move. It says they are ‘blindly ignoring the perils of long-term commitment to one energy supplier’.

People struggling with soaring energy bills should switch provider via a comparison website or auto-switch service. At the very least they should ask their existing supplier about cheaper tariffs.

Charity Citizens Advice offers both a comparison website and a star rating table that ranks suppliers on customer service.

For advice on switching or paying a bill visit citizensadvice.org.uk/ energy. Anyone born on or before November 5, 1953 might be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment of between £100 and £300 to help with heating bills.

The deadline for claiming payments for this winter is the end of next month. The helpline is 0800 731 0160.