Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘One in eight’ people think energy bills will go down this winter despite dire warnings

Experts predict that gas and energy bills will more than double this winter - and it could get worse

Furvah Shah
Tuesday 16 August 2022 11:37 EDT
Comments
'It's wrong to keep sticking plasters on the problem': Truss rejects Labour's energy plan

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Many Britons are underestimating the price hike in energy bills coming this winter, a survey claims.

One in eight people think their gas and electricity bills will go down in price, despite experts predicting they will more than double.

Only one in 13 people thought bills will go up by £1,500 or more, which is what experts are predicting as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact millions of Brits.

More than a quarter of households admitted they did not know what would happen to the price cap on energy bills.

Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at comparison website Uswitch, said: “With the summer holidays in full swing, it’s not surprising that so many people haven’t been on top of the news about changes in the price cap.”

He urged the government to move quickly to provide further assistance to households.

In May it was thought that the price cap would reach about £2,800 by October but there are now fears it may go up to £5,000 by April.

The government promised £400 for every household in May, to be paid in six installments, and support of up to £1,200 for more vulnerable people.

But such measures have been criticised as being nowhere enough to tackle the impending surge.

“The promised £66-a-month over winter, while a good start, will barely touch the sides of the predicted increase,” Mr Neudegg added.

“The energy bill support needs to be urgently reviewed. The new predictions will leave a lot of people worried about how they are going to afford their bills this winter and beyond, based on the sky-high predictions through to next October.

“Households desperately need to know that sufficient financial support will be provided.”

He encouraged those worried about rising prices of household bills to contact their energy provider as soon as possible.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in