Energy price rises are a blow'

MILLIONS of struggling households have been warned that this week's increase in energy tariffs will not be the last, as bills are set to rise again in April. Average energy bills are around £700 a year above where they were in winter 2020/21 and they rose by 1.3% on January 1st, taking the average annual bill based on typical use - to £1,738.

- RORY POULTER

Tariffs were initially predicted to rise by another 1% from April 1, however a new analysis from experts at Cornwall Insight puts the increase at 3%. The combined effect of these two rises would be to add around £70 to the typical annual bill, taking it up to around £1,785.

Any increase in bills will be a blow to families, businesses and the wider economy given that the UK already has the highest electricity prices in the world. It will also be a blow for the new Labour government which pledged to bring down the nation's energy bills through a switch to 'green' energy from wind, solar and, potentially, new nuclear plants.