Cash point

The average price of the top 30 cheapest energy deals has risen by a fifth since May, says comparison website Moneysupermarket.

Higher wholesale costs have seen energy firms regularly withdraw their best-value deals for new customers and replace them with more expensive alternatives.

Moneysupermarket calculated that by taking the average of the 30 cheapest tariffs, the price had leapt by £178 to £1,042 a year since May. The current cheapest tariff on the market is a variable priced ‘100% Green’ tariff from Pure Planet, with an average annual bill cost of £921.

The cheapest Big Six tariff is a one-year fixed deal from British Gas (‘Energy Plus Boiler Cover October 2019’) at £1,020. This is £204 cheaper than the Big Six average annual standard variable tariff which is £1,224.