Energy bills set to rise in 2016

Energy bills could rise by up to £206.72 this year, as 26 fixed tariffs come to an end on January 31st. With the cold weather only now hitting Britain, households could see extremely high bills if they choose not to shop around.

Extra Energy customers on the Fresh Fixed Price Jan 2016 v10 tariff can expect to see the biggest average annual rise. They could see an increase of £258.26 (29.64 per cent) to their annual energy bills if they are rolled onto the supplier’s Variable Price v1 standard tariff at the end of the month.

However, not all the tariffs which come to an end will result in price increases. In fact, some people will even see a drop in prices if their supplier's standard variable tariff is cheaper than the fixed deal they are currently on. These savings will amount to less than £30 though, depending on the provider, and additional savings could be made from shopping around.

Ben Wilson, energy spokesperson at Gocompare, said: "The recent slew of cold, wet weather has sent many of us reaching for our thermostats. With some families still paying off Christmas, the last thing people should be doing is unnecessarily paying more for their energy." 

"There are some really competitive energy deals available at the moment, so you could be doing yourself a disservice if you let your supplier roll you onto their standard variable tariff without shopping around first," he said.