However, Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said the service was helping people every day who “simply can’t afford this latest price hike” as its latest research showed the number of people living in debt to their energy supplier had reached a new high of nearly seven million.
“Alongside this, the way to deliver energy security and bring down bills for good is to deliver our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower with homegrown clean power that we in Britain control.”.
Ofgem said four million customers have moved to a fixed tariff since its last price cap announcement in November, taking the total to 11 million, meaning they will not be affected by the increase.
Ofgem said the increase to the price cap, which will raise the average bill for households in England, Scotland and Wales on a standard variable tariff from the current £1,738 a year to £1,849, followed a recent spike in wholesale prices.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: “We know that no price rise is ever welcome, and that the cost of energy remains a huge challenge for many households.
