Scots households pay higher energy bills on average than those in England and Wales as a result "outrageous" transmission charges, the SNP has claimed.
Analysis by the party - using data compiled by comparethemarket.com - shows the average household in Scotland is now paying £1,651 per year for energy.
That compares to £1,554 in England and £1,525 in Wales.
SNP MSP Graeme Dey said the difference was explained in part because of transmission charges in Scotland for companies to access the National Grid.
The UK Government last month announced that all UK households will receive a £400 discount on their fuel bills as the cost of living soars and inflation climbed to a 40-year high.
The Scottish Government has insisted the measure does not go far enough to help the least well off who are already struggling to make ends meet.
Dey said: "Scotland is paying the price for sky high energy bills, despite Scotland having an abundance of resources in oil and gas and renewables.
"Under Westminster control, the vast revenue from Scotland's oil and gas industry has been squandered by UK governments for decades and now it is consumers in Scotland who are getting hammered with higher average energy bills than anywhere else in the UK.
"This is also a result of the outrageous and expensive transmission charges that are charged in Scotland for companies to access the National Grid here.
"The measures announced by the Chancellor last month – welcome though they were - will barely scratch the surface of the rocketing energy bills crippling households now and in the winter months to come.
"Scotland paying the highest fuel bills in the country lies squarely at the door of the Westminster government and shows why Scotland needs the full range of powers that will come with independence."
Ofgem - which regulates the UK energy market - asked the Electricity System Operator (ESO) in February to review various aspects of transmission charging arrangements.
The regulator is pushing to create a more flexible grid that will give consumers more control to save money through better data and more regularly updated prices.
A spokesman for the UK Government said: "We recognise the pressures that people living in Scotland are facing with the cost of living which is why we are expanding the Warm Home Discount by £13 million, increasing the amount Scottish households receive so those most in need are supported to heat their homes.
"The discount is just one measure we are taking to help tackle rising energy costs. Our energy price cap continues to protect households from volatile gas markets, and later this year families will get £400 off their energy bills, while we have already provided £290 million to fund Council Tax rebates in Scotland."
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