British Gas to Increase Prices By Massive £60
- Prices for those on standard tariffs to increase by £60 a year
- Average bill will be over £1,100 a year
- Over 4 million customers will be affected
- Will take place in May
The UK’s largest energy supplier, British Gas, will increase energy prices for those on standard tariffs by an average of 5.5%.
The rise will apply to both gas and electricity, and will see the average annual dual-fuel bill go up by £60, to £1,161 a year.
The company said that 4.1 million customers will be affected by the changes, which will come into action from the 29th May.
This comes after other energy companies, like E.ON, announced there will be price hikes this year, although these took place in April.
British Gas has blamed the Government’s policy for the rise, but this suggestion has been rejected by ministers.
It said it has to lift prices after a rise in the cost of producing energy, such as through the introduction of smart meters and emissions targets.
Mark Hodges, Chief Executive of Centrica Consumer, of which British Gas is a part of, said, “We full understand that any price increase adds extra pressure on customers’ household bills.
“This increase we are announcing today is reflective of the costs we are seeing which are beyond our control.
“Government policies, intended to transform the energy system, are important, but they are putting pressure on customers’ bills.
“We believe the Government should level the playing field, so the customers of all supplied pay a fair share of energy bills policy costs.”
Although other companies have put their bills up, these have been smaller increases- around 3%- much lower than British Gas’ increase.
Energy companies have been under pressure from the Government to make prices fairer for customers.
A new energy price cap has been put in place with the aim of reducing bills for 11 million families, and companies have been banned for back billing for periods longer than 12 months.
Will you be affected by this? Let us know in the comments.
