MILLIONS of households face further bill pain tomorrow as the much-dreaded rise to the price cap is confirmed.
The announcement, which is at 7am, is set to confirm that energy bills will rise from £2,000 a year to more than £3,500.
Experts have warned that it will exceed £4,000 from January.
It comes as households will be stung by more frequent energy bill rises.
Regulator Ofgem said the price cap – which limits how much suppliers can charge customers for energy – will be reviewed twice as often per year.
It means that should energy prices keep rocketing like experts predict, these increases will be passed on more quickly to customers.
As concerns mount for millions of households, we round up seven major energy bill warnings – and how to get help.
Experts, energy bosses and charities have warned that millions of households are in for a miserable winter of spiralling energy costs.
So Energy co-founder Simon Oscroft said families should not “bear the brunt” of rocketing bills.
He called for the government to increase bills to double the £400 energy bill discount to £800, and for the £150 warm homes discount to be quadrupled to £600.
While EDF’s managing director Philippe Commaret warned households are in for a “dramatic and catastrophic winter”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that half of the UK households might be in fuel poverty by January.
Customers have been urged to check their direct debits now, as some firms have already been hiking bills in anticipation of looming bill hikes this winter.
Customers of Ovo, Scottish Power, British Gas and Bulb Energy have taken to social media to complain of crippling bill hikes.
Some said that their direct debit had increased fourfold, or their monthly payment had gone up despite them being in credit.
Experts have urged customers to check their direct debits now.
If you do think your bill is wrong though, the best first step is to take a meter reading (and to provide one to your supplier every month).
Households are desperately finding ways to save as much as they can on their energy bills.
Turning energy guzzling appliances is a good place to start, with experts urging households to switch them off properly.
So-called “vampire appliances” drain energy when left on standby or when used inefficiently.
Extra fridges, desktop computers and electric towel rails are among some of the worst offenders – they could be adding up to £500 onto your yearly costs.
Struggling households have been urged to seek help from their energy firm.
Suppliers are stepping up the help on offer to desperate families.
The Sun exclusively revealed that British Gas will give back 10% of its profits to help cash-strapped customers.
Chris O’Shea has committed to donating £12million of British Gas profits this autumn and a further 10 per cent every six months for the duration of the energy crisis.
This could provide up to £60million for British Gas’s poorest customers.
Grants worth between £250 and £750 will be given out to tens of thousands of households in financial distress.
The Sun spoke to prepayment customers hit the hardest by the energy bill crisis.
Experts said they were the “forgotten front line”, paying more for their energy and the most likely to fall into debt.
We called the Government, Ofgem and suppliers to do more to support the four million customers on prepayment meters.
Mum-of-two Jo Gunn said she was terrified of rising bills this winter.
While disabled dad of two Matthew Allen said he was petrified his family would go hungry.
