The announcement of an 80% increase in the energy price cap last week has left millions of people wondering how they will cope this winter. Last Friday regulator Ofgem announced the cap would rise from from £1,971 to £3,549 from October 1, this increase coming on top of a 54% rise already introduced in April this year.
The changes have left millions of households already struggling to cope with rising costs worried about how they will pay their bills heading into the colder months, when more people tend to use their heating. You can read what the energy companies have said about price increases following the price cap change here.
The cap will come into effect for around 24 million households in England, Scotland and Wales on default energy tariffs on October 1, and will remain in place until December 31, when it will be adjusted again. Ofgem's chief executive Jonathan Brearley warned of the hardship energy prices would cause this winter and urged the incoming prime minister and new cabinet "to provide an additional and urgent response to continued surging energy prices".
