Millions of people in the UK are set to see a rise in their energy bills from today as the new price cap comes into effect. The rise, effective from Friday, April 1, is around 54% higher than the previous cap and will see the average household paying around £693 more each year to heat their home.
The increases which were originally announced by Ofgem back in February will be a great source of worry for families around the UK, with Citizens Advice saying around five million people would be unable to pay their energy bills from April, even accounting for the support the government has already announced. It means the average bill rises to £1,971 per year - a rise of 54%.
Energy companies saw their websites and phone lines crash on Thursday as people rushed to give meter readings on the final day of March. British Gas, EON Next, Scottish Power and Shell reported technical issues throughout the day, with customers indicating on social media that they were still having issues on Friday.
