ENERGY chiefs were branded “inhumane” after announcing that bills will go up twice over winter.
Watchdog Ofgem has confirmed it will change the price cap every three months, rather than six.
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The Bank of England thinks the cap will hit £3,600 when it is lifted again in October.
Chiefs admitted that their plans would whack on another £60 to winter bills per family.
But they said it would mean firms were less likely to go bust and costs taxpayers even more.
They blamed the war in Ukraine for forcing up gas and electricity prices.
Ofgem chief Jonathan Brearley urged Brits to swerve a campaign not to pay bills — saying it would just put up costs again for everyone else.
But Simon Francis, of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, warned of a rise in winter deaths.
He said: “Households will face a two-stage cost of living crisis this winter.
“This decision will force more people into fuel poverty in the middle of winter, causing additional stress on the NHS and it may ultimately lead to increased levels of excess winter deaths this year.
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“It is simply inhumane.”
A YouGov poll found 15 per cent think they will be unable to pay bills even if they cut spending.
Oil prices slipping down
THE price of oil has fallen to its lowest since the invasion of Ukraine.
It had peaked at more than £100 a barrel but has now fallen to about £80, with hopes it will be reflected in pump prices.
But experts poured cold water on the rare good news, saying it only reflected market jitters over a global recession.
Equity analyst Sophie Lund-Yates, at financial service firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “This feeds into anxieties about constrained supply which consumers and wholesalers are very well-versed in at this point.”
However, analysts also noted fears of an increase in demand, following weak Chinese economic data which included a mere 0.4 per cent growth in three months.
