How will UK’s winter weather forecast affect heating bills?

As November turns to December, there could be a cold snap, most likely in the north. Photograph: Alamy

All eyes are on the UK’s crucial winter weather forecast as the temperatures will affect how households manage their energy bills.

Long-term weather forecasting is notoriously difficult, but forecasters can come up with a broad sense of the weather in the months ahead. For those trying to reduce their bills this winter, the impact of a cold or mild winter will be huge in terms of energy use, said Christopher O’Reilly of the department for meteorology at the University of Reading.