Fuelling flame of anger

LOOKING at my latest energy bill from Octopus Energy, it shows that in a single month the uncapped cost of our gas and electricity usage should have been £800.

The underlying figures are a unit price of 66p/kw hour for electricity — two years ago, it was 12p — and 17p/kw hour for gas — two years ago, it was 2p.

Prices have increased more than five-fold for electricity and eight-fold for gas.

Electricity is four times more expensive than gas, which is not an incentive to switch. Standing charges have increased to £270 a year.

These figures are extortionate and amount to a major failure by energy companies, the regulator Ofgem and the Government. We need a full and transparent explanation of the mess we find ourselves in.

D. SMITH, Sheffield.