Ed Miliband has urged the energy watchdog to take swift action as it emerged that the typical energy bill could soar by more than £100 a year amid a rise in global gas prices.
Miliband wrote to Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley saying the regulator should crack down on inaccurate and large bills and urged it to speed up the next stage in the regulator’s proposals to give bill payers options to pay a zero standing charge.
Miliband, the energy secretary, has written an urgent letter to Ofgem, saying the price rise means the energy regulator must move faster to protect consumers.
This month, gas prices hit a two-year high, exacerbated by the lack of gas storage in Britain and Europe, combined with colder weather though prices have begun to stabilise.
Miliband has asked the Ofgem chief executive to set out faster mitigations that the regulator can take to ease the pressure of the “rollercoaster” of global gas markets.
