SAVE £200 ON ENERGY AT HOME

COSTS are not only rising at the petrol pumps, but also in the home with energy bills set to soar this autumn.

Industry watchdog Ofgem has just raised the price cap to allow electricity and gas bills to increase by as much as £139 a year – about 12 per cent – from October.

Yet by trawling the market for a competitive tariff, households can knock £200 or more off their annual energy bill, according to comparison website uSwitch.

Ofgem says 11million households are on expensive standard default tariffs while a further four million pay for their energy using pre-paid meters.

Another 13million are on fixed rate deals that might not represent best value for money. Most households on these tariffs could benefit by switching.

Among the cheapest providers recommended by consumer website MoneySavingExpert is Utility Point.

It has a one-year fixed deal with an average yearly energy cost of £1,036 – £229 less than the £1,265 national average for a typical duel-fuel using household.

Another highly rated provider is Igloo Energy, with a variable deal that can reduce an average energy bill by £212.

Comparison websites can help identify the savings from switching. They include MoneySupermarket, uSwitch and Compare the Market.