{"id":158611,"date":"2026-05-21T09:20:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/millions-could-face-209-electricity-bill-rise-amid-overpay-warning\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:20:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:20:26","slug":"millions-could-face-209-electricity-bill-rise-amid-overpay-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/millions-could-face-209-electricity-bill-rise-amid-overpay-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions could face \u00a3209 electricity bill rise amid overpay warning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"subscription-content\">\n<p>\n  Analysts at Cornwall Insight now predict the household energy price cap will rise by \u00a3209 a year from July, pushing the average annual dual-fuel bill from \u00a31,641 to around \u00a31,850.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The increase &#8211; driven largely by soaring wholesale energy prices linked to the Iran conflict &#8211; would represent a 13% jump in just three months.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  And experts warn prices may stay painfully high into autumn and winter.\n<\/p>\n<h2>\n  Why energy bills are rising again<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  Global wholesale energy markets have been highly volatile since the conflict escalated in the Middle East earlier this year.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  One of the biggest concerns has been disruption around the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a major global shipping route through which around a fifth of the world\u2019s oil and gas passes.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The instability has pushed oil and gas prices sharply higher, feeding directly into UK household energy bills.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  At one stage, Cornwall Insight warned bills could surge to nearly \u00a32,000 a year.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Craig Lowrey said forecasts had dramatically worsened in recent months.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  He explained: \u201cOver the past few months, we\u2019ve watched our forecasts shift from showing virtually no quarter-on-quarter increase to a 13% rise in current bills &#8211; with this change due to the impacts of the Middle East conflict.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  <iframe frameborder=\"0\" class=\"exco-embed\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" style=\"width: 100%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.penarthtimes.co.uk\/excoiframe\/?id=249349\" id=\"exco-iframe-249349\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>\n  Experts fear an even bigger winter \u2018payment shock\u2019<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  Although summer energy use is typically lower, experts say the bigger concern is what happens later in the year when temperatures drop and heating demand surges again.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Cornwall Insight warned that current forecasts suggest October\u2019s price cap could remain close to July\u2019s elevated levels.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  That means households may not get the usual autumn relief many were hoping for.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The consultancy said: \u201cWhile households will understandably be frustrated by a rise during the summer, the bigger concern is October, when demand picks up again.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  It added that even if the conflict ended immediately, damage to infrastructure and disrupted global supply chains mean energy prices are unlikely to fall back to earlier levels quickly.\n<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DYE4hTwsR2b\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\"&#10;            background: #fff;&#10;            border: 0;&#10;            border-radius: 3px;&#10;            box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5), 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);&#10;            margin: 1px;&#10;            max-width: 540px;&#10;            min-width: 326px;&#10;            padding: 0;&#10;            width: 99.375%;&#10;            width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px);&#10;            width: calc(100% - 2px);&#10;            \">\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>\n  Millions could struggle this winter<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  Campaigners are now urging the Government to set out emergency support plans before winter arrives.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  End Fuel Poverty Coalition warned millions of families already struggling with energy debt could face an extremely difficult winter if prices remain high.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Simon Francis said: \u201cIf bills remain high when heating season begins, millions of households already in energy debt or struggling to keep their homes warm will face an extremely difficult winter.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cHouseholds need reassurance and support, not a summer of suspense.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<h2>\n  Government responds to energy price fears<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  A government spokesperson said ministers understood households were worried about rising bills and pointed to plans for cleaner domestic energy generation.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The spokesperson said: \u201cThe lesson of yet another fossil fuel crisis is the UK needs to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and on to clean homegrown power we control.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<h2>\n  Millions could be missing easy savings<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  While households cannot control global energy prices, experts say many people could still reduce costs by changing everyday habits and reviewing tariffs now.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Research from E.ON Next suggests almost 19 million UK households may be missing opportunities to save money by using electricity outside peak hours &#8211; but only if you switch to a tariff that rewards it.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The company found:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>34% of people did not realise electricity can cost less at certain times of day\n  <\/li>\n<li>Only half of Britons fully understand off-peak pricing\n  <\/li>\n<li>38% say flexible tariffs feel too complicated\n  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n  Yet customers using off-peak tariffs have already collectively saved more than \u00a31.5 million by shifting electricity use away from peak evening hours.\n<\/p>\n<h2>\n  The simple appliance changes that could cut bills<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  Experts say small household changes can add up surprisingly quickly, and switching to a tariff that varies according to the time of day can pay off.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  According to E.ON Next:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Running a tumble dryer off-peak could cut costs by 55%\n  <\/li>\n<li>Washing machine cycles could fall from 39p to 18p\n  <\/li>\n<li>Charging devices overnight can reduce electricity costs\n  <\/li>\n<li>Eco appliance settings can significantly lower energy use\n  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n  Peak electricity prices are typically highest between 4pm and 7pm.\n<\/p>\n<h2>\n  8 easy ways to lower energy costs before winter<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n  Experts recommend households use the warmer months to improve home energy efficiency before heating systems are needed again.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Recommended steps include:\n<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Bleeding radiators\n  <\/li>\n<li>Checking for draughts\n  <\/li>\n<li>Servicing boilers\n  <\/li>\n<li>Improving insulation\n  <\/li>\n<li>Washing clothes at 30\u00b0C\n  <\/li>\n<li>Avoiding unnecessary tumble dryer use\n  <\/li>\n<li>Batch cooking meals\n  <\/li>\n<li>Using dishwasher eco settings\n  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\n  Ofgem will officially announce the next energy price cap on May 27.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  But with wholesale markets still volatile and winter fears growing, experts say households should prepare for continued pressure on energy bills well beyond summer.\n<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>\n  <strong>Recommended reading<\/strong>:\n<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>\n  Dave Cawley said many households still have ways to reduce the impact of higher bills.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  He explained: \u201cWhen bills rise this sharply, it can often feel like households have very little control, but there are still ways people can reduce the financial impact.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u201cEven relatively small savings across energy, groceries and household spending can quickly add up over the course of a year.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  <strong>Have you fixed your energy tariff ahead of the rise? Tell us in the comments below&#8230;<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penarthtimes.co.uk\/news\/26125812.millions-face-209-electricity-bill-rise-amid-overpay-warning\/?ref=rss\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Analysts at Cornwall Insight now predict the household energy price cap will rise by \u00a3209 a year from July, pushing the average annual dual-fuel bill from \u00a31,641 to around \u00a31,850.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.penarthtimes.co.uk\/resources\/images\/20576178\/","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[26,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-recentpost"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.penarthtimes.co.uk\/resources\/images\/20576178\/","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2026-11-21 09:20:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vale50plus.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}