Households set for record winter fuel bill
No New Year cheer for those rural dwellers suffering from fuel poverty I’m afraid as this article tells us:
Six million households face a shock next month when an average fuel bill of £530 pops through the letterbox, analysts warned today.
The bill – the biggest ever single payment demanded by the energy giants – will hit those customers who pay for their gas and electricity quarterly.
An estimated 6.5 million households have already been left in fuel poverty this winter because of near-8 per cent hikes increasing the average annual bill to £1,343.
An analysis by Moneysupermarket.com showed that 39.4 per cent of a household’s annual consumption of gas and electricity falls within just three months, between 13 November and 15 February.
As a result, the website calculated that the bill for those months would hit £530 – £50 more than last year.
The impact of this level of demand surely creates a policy incentive for someone to do something to try and even out the payment regime for those worst hit. Perhaps those who 5 or 6 years ago could meet lower tariffs but will now find bigger and bigger winter fuel bills creeping up on them. Interesting to muse that winter fuel allowance for those eligible is not likely to make a major dint in bills of this scale.