British Gas ‘preparing’ to hike energy prices that will add almost £100 to annual bills
British Gas is supposedly working on plans to raise its energy prices by up to nine per cent
BRITAIN'S biggest energy supplier is "preparing" to put its prices up by as much as nine per cent, hitting millions of households across the country.
More than 11million customers could see their bills rise by almost £100 a year.
The plans were disclosed by the , which said that the price hikes could come in as soon as next month, weeks after British Gas’s “winter price freeze” ends.
The news follows the announcement by Npower last week, in which the supplier revealed that it would be putting up its gas and electricity prices by an average of 9.8 per cent - adding £109 a year to bills.
The price hike is set to affect half of its 2.8million customers from March 16.
Ofgem, the energy regulator, demanded an explanation from the supplier as to why it was raising its prices, and the Government said it was "concerned" by the announcement.
EDF was the first of the "big six" energy suppliers to announce it would be pushing its prices up, revealing in December that it would lower gas prices by 5.2 per cent for those on its most expensive tariff but that electricity bills will rise by 8.4 per cent in March.
Some other smaller suppliers have also raised tariffs.
According to Ofgem, British Gas’s standard gas and electricity tariff is £1,044 a year, meaning a nine per cent rise would add £94 to annual bills.
A spokesman for British Gas told The Sun Online: "We never speculate about future pricing decisions."
HOW TO GET A CHEAPER ENERGY BILL
MILLIONS of households across the UK have never switched energy providers and are languishing on standard variable tariffs, which are often the most expensive around.
Around 70 per cent of people are on bog-standard expensive standard tariffs, when they should be shopping around for a cheapest deal.
If in doubt, call your provider and call other providers to ask them what their cheapest fixed tariff is.
Better still, use a comparison website, like uSwitch or MoneySupermarket to find the very best deal for you. By switching providers you could save hundreds of pounds a year.
Bear in mind that the amount you pay for your energy varies depending on where you live.
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