Star comment: Energy bill hikes hard to stomach
British Gas customers will undoubtedly feel aggrieved after the firm announced an inflation-busting price hike.
More than three million households will face paying 12.5 per cent more for their electricity, while dual tariff bills will rise by £76 a year to an average of £1,120.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after the Government watered down plans to crackdown on rising energy prices.
British Gas is certainly not alone in taking this course of action.
In fact, it is the last of the so called ‘Big Six’ suppliers to increase rates this year.
Sadly, the rising cost of energy bills has become a national scandal that shows no sign of going away.
Let us not forget energy companies in the UK are raking in huge profits, with British Gas netting almost half a billion pounds over the past year.
While suppliers blame costly network upgrades and new policy programmes, it is the hard-pressed customer that loses out.
The key for customers now is to shop around for the best deal.
In this day and age, 10 minutes spent on a price comparison site can save people hundreds of pounds a year when they switch energy providers.
You would think British Gas would have learned its lesson, having lost 377,000 customers to other suppliers over the first half of 2017.
With the new, more expensive rates due to be brought in at the start of September, it is a fair bet a few more customers will be looking for a cheaper deal in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the stage is set for Theresa May to step in and make good on her pre-election promise to cap energy bills.
The Government has been very clear it believes energy price rises can be disastrous for customers, particularly those who are already on poor value tariffs.
Yet so far there has been an apparent reluctance to take decisive action over the issue.
People will demand a swift response regarding the latest hike, which does not appear to be justifiable in any way.
In the meantime, the best thing that frustrated customers can do is to switch to a better deal. Perhaps when profits start to tumble, energy companies may reconsider adopting such unreasonable pricing structures.
