Energy bill hike as 67 tariffs end in a month

THOUSANDS of households will see their energy costs rise next month as 67 tariffs end, including deals from four of the ‘Big Six’ suppliers.

Experts are warning bill payers not to ignore one of their biggest household outgoings.

Peter Earl, head of energy at the comparethemarket website, says: ‘There is more competition, but consumers should not be complacent.

‘It always pays to compare deals. Don’t rely on your supplier to do it for you. It is likely to move you to a more costly tariff as soon as it can.’

The UK’s largest domestic energy firms have won back customers with a string of new, competitive deals. This follows months of customers ditching the Big Six – which includes EDF, Npower, and ScottishPower – for better offers from smaller rivals.

Comparethemarket’s monthly snapshot suggests E.On, SSE and British Gas won the highest percentage of customers who changed deals last month. Their oneyear fixed-rate tariffs helped customers make an average yearly saving of £185 to £200.

According to comparison service energyhelpline, some of the best offers still come from lesser-known suppliers, including Green, Orbit Energy and Avro Energy, which have customer service ratings of at least three out of five. Their respective deals – Oak, Beat the Cap Extra and Simple and SuperSave – are £364 to £386 less than the average annual bill of £1,254.

Victoria Arrington, from energyhelpline, says: ‘Often in summer we don’t think about energy bills. But there are lots of good value deals.

‘If your tariff has less than 49 days left, you are free to switch with no penalty fees.’

Visit energycompare. citizensadvice.org.uk or call energyhelpline on freephone 0800 074 0745.