Is it time to switch suppliers?

There are some things you can always bank on come the British summer – the clocks change, we moan about the weather (too hot, too wet, too windy) and there are warnings that our energy bills are set to rise.

And like clockwork, just as we’ve been basking in the heat, the energy price hike has come along to remind us that winter is an expensive business when it comes to heating our homes.

The Big Six – E.ON, British Gas, SSE, Npower, EDF and Scottish Power – have already put up their prices this year.

Indeed, British Gas announced a second rise of 3.8 per cent on its standard variable rate the other day – the first one, an average of 5.5 per cent, came in April.

And now Ofgem has given the ok to energy firms to charge their most vulnerable customers – those on the safeguard tariff – £47 a year more.

That means all the people who are under the protection of a price cap – five million households in the UK, most of whom receive the government’s Warm Home Discount – will face a major hit to the pocket.

Ofgem says it is allowing the increase because of rising oil prices which, in turn, have led to rising wholesale gas prices – basically costing the energy firms more to supply our homes and workplaces with gas and electricity.

But while Ofgem says the rise is “unfortunate” but “justified”, it is bad news for the most vulnerable – especially as the safeguard tariff wasn’t even the cheapest on the market.

Ofgem should be ensuring that the energy companies are doing much more to get all their customers off expensive tariffs.

And much more needs to be done to make people aware of how easy it is to switch suppliers and how much they could save.

For instance, at Which? we’ve estimated that customers who don’t seek out a new deal could end up overpaying by around £400 a year.

Without doubt the best way to bring energy bills

down is to be proactive – even if you are on the safeguard tariff. That means comparing suppliers and switching.

● Please send all your consumer questions and problems to me at askalex@which.co.uk