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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Ruby Flanagan

When are energy bills going up? Everything you need to know before huge rise

Energy bills are currently at the highest they have ever been, and they're only going to get more expensive over the next few weeks.

Households are currently covered by the Government's Energy Price Guarantee which was introduced in October last year.

This has set the typical annual energy bill for both gas and electricity to around £2,500 - but this isn't a total cap on what you could end up paying.

Your actual bill will be higher or lower depending on how much energy you use.

This is because the Energy Price Guarantee sets a cap on what you can be charged for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy you use.

The Government is currently set to raise its Energy Price Guarantee this spring which means your bill is set to rise in a matter of weeks.

Consumer campaigner Martin Lewis has called on the Government not to introduce this rise over fears more homes will be pushed into fuel poverty.

Here is everything you need to know.

When will energy bills rise?

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his Autumn Statement last year that the Government will increase its Energy Price Guarentee from £2,500 to £3,000 this April.

So the last day of the current £2,500 limit will be March 31.

At the same time, the Government's current £400 energy bill discount will also come to an end.

The £400 discount to household energy bills has been given through installments of £66 and £67 each month since October.

Currently, every household in the UK is getting £67 automatically discounted off their bill and the final discount will be given on your March energy bill.

How is the Energy Price Guarantee different to the Ofgem price cap?

Ofgem is the independent regulator of the British energy market.

Before the Energy Price Guarantee came in, energy prices were set according to the Ofgem price cap.

The price cap also sets the maximum price that energy suppliers can charge consumers for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use.

However, with the rising cost of wholesale gas, the Ofgem price cap has risen astronomically - hence why it has been replaced by the Energy Price Guarantee.

The Ofgem price cap hit £4,279 since January, and will stay at that level until the end of March.

When will Ofgem announce its next price cap?

Ofgem will announce its energy price cap for April to June on February 27.

Last month, the boss of Ofgem Jonathan Brearley said it was "possible" the price cap could drop to below £3,000 due to a fall in wholesale gas and electricity prices.

This would be more optimistic than what analysts at Cornwall Insight are suggesting - this week, they said the Ofgem price cap could hit £3,338 from April.

As it stands, if this was to happen, the Energy Price Guarantee would remain in place and keep prices to £3,000 on average.

Cornwall Insight suggests the typical bill under the Ofgem price cap could drop to around £2,361 a year from July.

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