Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Rising bills could exacerbate fuel poverty
Nation Cymru reports on the view of energy consultancy Cornwall Insight that it expects the typical household’s energy bill to rise to £1,714 a year, up from £1,568 currently, on 1st October:
This is less than its previous prediction in June, when it estimated that the cap would rise by 9.9% to £1,723.
But the group said there is also likely to be a further “modest” increase in January 2025, with more rises possible early in the new year due to “recent tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war”.
Energy regulator Ofgem will announce the energy price cap for October to December on Friday August 23.
Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “This is not the news households want to hear when moving into the colder months.
“Following two consecutive falls in the cap, I’m sure many hoped we were on a steady path back to pre-crisis prices.
“However, the lingering impact of the energy crisis has left us with a market that’s still highly volatile and quick to react to any bad news on the supply front.
“Despite this, while we don’t expect a return to the extreme prices of recent years, it’s unlikely that bills will return to what was once considered normal.
“Without significant intervention, this may well be the new normal.”
With the charity Independent Age suggesting that Labour's shake-up of winter fuel payments could mean that hundreds of thousands of pensioners who are entitled to it could miss out, further price rises will make mattrs worse.
