Energy Bills

Companies using heating oil have already begun rationing their fuel use, says Federation of Small BusinessesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThousands of independent businesses across the UK are braced for their energy bills to more than double owing to the sharp rise in heating oil costs as the war in Iran pushed Europe’s fuel market prices to fresh record highs.About 7% of all small and medium-sized companies warm their properties and provide hot water using heating oil, which in some cases has more than doubled in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Chancellor says the government is looking at ways they can support people based on household income Good morning. Keir Starmer is giving a press conference this morning where, according to No 10, he will discuss the Iran war, and how the government is supporting people at home. Now we are in April, the new financial year is starting, and the government is highlighting measures it has introduced that will help people with the cost of living. The Conservatives have an alternative list, and they are claiming this morning that “Keir Starmer and his chancellor have piled on extra costs leaving families almost £1,000 worse off this year”.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has been doing her own media too. She is on the Jeremy Vine show later, but she has already given an interview to BBC Breakfast in which she gave a marginally clearer idea of what she is planning to do to help people with energy bills than she did when she made a statement to MPs last week.From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and pensioners, is the lowest of any months of the year because it is the summer months …It will be really from the autumn onwards that people’s gas usage starts increasing. So at the moment we are working on a range of contingencies. And we are looking at more targeted measures. We are looking at ways we can support people based on their household income.I want to learn the lessons of the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest, the best-off third of households got more than a third of the support. That makes no sense at all. Continue reading...

Consumers brace for ‘awful April’ and Iran war cost hikes, which have pushed UK’s gas market past three-year highs Households in Great Britain could see their energy bills increase by about £290 a year to almost £2,000 from this summer in a “tough pill to swallow” for consumers already braced for a volley of “awful April” cost hikes from Wednesday.A typical gas and electricity bill is now forecast to reach £1,929 a year from July under the industry regulator Ofgem’s quarterly price cap, according to analysis by the energy consultancy Cornwall Insight. Continue reading...

Chancellor says package offered by Liz Truss’s government was unaffordable and any future help will be targetedRachel Reeves has ruled out universal support to deal with any future rise in energy bills, saying any government help would be targeted, and criticised the support offered by Liz Truss’s government as unaffordable and irresponsible.The chancellor also said she would review the planned fuel duty rise in September, but she did not commit to delaying or postponing it. Continue reading...

PM indicates he would prefer to focus taxpayer-funded help on poorest households, rather than universal bailoutMinisters are looking at providing support for household bills next winter, Keir Starmer said, as he suggested the energy price shock unleashed by the Iran conflict could continue for months to come.The prime minister indicated he would prefer to focus any taxpayer-funded help on the poorest households, rather than an expensive universal bailout, ahead of an emergency meeting on the economic fallout of the Middle East crisis. Continue reading...

Consultancy’s forecast of £1,972 annual dual fuel bill follows conflict pushing UK’s gas market past three-year highsBusiness live – latest updatesHousehold energy bills in Great Britain could soar by more than £330 a year to almost £2,000 from this summer after the war in Iran pushed the UK’s gas market past three-year highs.A typical combined household gas and electricity bill is now forecast to reach £1,972 a year from July under the UK government’s quarterly price cap, according to analysis by Cornwall Insight, an energy consultancy. Continue reading...

Iran war has increased gas price, with effects on UK energy bills that could be avoided, Common Wealth saysHousehold energy bills could be reduced by up to £203 a year by stopping expensive fossil gas setting the price of energy in the UK, according to a report.Under the existing system, gas – the most expensive form of electricity production in the UK system – set the price of energy 85% of the time in 2024 in the UK, even though it generates only about a quarter of Britain’s electricity. Continue reading...

As Iran war drives up cost concerns, thinktank says £3.7bn discount system should be developed before next winterThe UK government is facing calls to spend almost £4bn to launch a “social tariff” providing cheaper energy for poor households amid growing concerns over the Iran conflict.As households brace for an increase in living costs, the Resolution Foundation said ministers should develop a system of discounted domestic energy bills in time for next winter to protect the most vulnerable households. Continue reading...

Experts say Nigel Farage’s party is not being transparent about how it will use data it collects on people’s voting habitsReform UK risks breaching data protection laws with its competition to win free energy bills for a year, lawyers and data experts have warned.Nigel Farage announced the lottery on Tuesday as a way to advertise his latest policy to cut energy bills. The Reform leader encouraged British people to sign up via a website, nigelcutmybills.com, for a chance to have their energy bills paid for a year, as well as those of their entire street. Continue reading...

But Michael Shanks says government will not be rushed into plans to reduce costs faced by households due to war in IranBritain’s energy minister has said “every penny” levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised after suppliers warned that households could face a price hike of £250 a year due to the war in Iran.Michael Shanks told MPs that the government would stand ready to provide support wherever needed, but it would not be rushed into plans to reduce the costs faced by households or offer direct financial support. Continue reading...