Full list of energy firms hiking bills including British Gas and Octopus – how much more will you pay?

BRITS will be hit with higher gas and electricity bills within weeks as energy firms hike prices.

Suppliers including British Gas and Octopus have confirmed that customers will have to pay hundreds more from April.

1

Ofgem, the industry regulator, has announced that the energy price cap will rise by £693 next month.

That allows firms to hike prices, with millions of households set to pay hundreds of pounds a year more.

The price cap sets the cost per unit and the daily standing charge you pay.

So your actual bill will still always depend on how much energy you use.

Suppliers can charge up to this price, and most firms are asking for the full amount due to rocketing wholesale gas prices.

These are the firms raising prices this year.

British Gas

British Gas has confirmed plans to raise its tariffs in line with the energy price cap from April 1.

The amount you pay will go up £693a year, working out at £58 a month.

Prepayment meters will see an increase of £708, or £59 per month.

Most read in Money

Those are estimated figures and the exact amount depends on the amount of energy you use and how you pay.

Bulb

Bulb has said the average customer will pay £13.33 a week more for their energy.

That works out at around £57 more a month or £695 a year.

Again, the actual amount extra you’ll be charged is dependent on how much energy your household uses.

EDF

EDF has said it will increase prices in line with the price cap from April 1.

Philippe Commaret, managing director of customers at EDF said last month that the company wanted to be “fully transparent and give our customers as much notice as possible”.

Customers should have been contacted directly about how their bills will be affected.

E.On

E.On customers will be paying more from April, too, as the supplier is also increasing prices in line with the cap.

“We know this will be difficult news for our customers and we’d urge anyone who is struggling to get in touch as there are ways we can help, including cold weather payments and targeted support such as through our Energy Fund,” a spokesperson said today.

“The Government has a package of measures to help customers which is designed to help spread the cost.”

Shell Energy

Shell Energy has told customers on a flexible tariff that the price cap change will affect them.

You will be contacted directly via email or post to let you know how much your bills will go up by.

Typical households will pay an extra £60 a month, it said, and acknowledged that the rise will be “difficult for many households”.

Octopus

Octopus energy is raising its prices in April too but it’s announced a loyalty tariff that’s below the price cap.

The offer will mean that energy bills are £48 a year cheaper for eligible customers from April 2.

Every Octopus customer on a Standard Variable Tariff will get £2 off the price cap – existing or new. So they’ll pay £1,969 rather than the £1,971 that’s to come.

Then loyal Octopus customers get an additional £48 rebate applied via their electricity charges which is automatically calculated and applied every month.

That means they’ll pay £1,921 a year.

Ovo Energy and SSE

Ovo Energy, which now owns SSE, has previously confirmed that prices will rise from April.

It said it planned to contact customers with their new prices before March 12.

That means you should have heard from the supplier by now and have details of how the price cap will affect your tariff.

How can I get help with my energy bills?

If you’re worried about rising prices, there is help available.

First of all you should contact your supplier as they might be able to offer support.

Some providers have hardship funds, including British Gas and Octopus, to help you with your bills.

You should also make sure you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to.

You can use an online benefits calculator to check you’re not missing out on cash.

The government is giving households a £200 energy bill discount, although this will eventually have to be paid back in instalments.

Other schemes available include the Household Support Fund.

Contact your local council to see if you can get a grant from the fund, as some local authorities will give out money for fuel costs.

But you should bear in mind that eligibility differs across the country, and some schemes have closed ahead of the March 31 deadline.

You can contact charities including Citizens Advice, Turn2Us and Stepchange for free help and advice.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk