Record energy bill warning as British Gas highlights higher costs

 

British Gas paved the way for more pain by revealing that wholesale gas costs for next winter have risen by 15%

ENERGY bills could rocket to a record high this summer with prices soaring by nearly a fifth, experts have warned.

British Gas paved the way for more pain yesterday by revealing that wholesale gas costs for next winter have risen by 15%.

On top of that, suppliers will be forced to pass on other costs outside their control of around £50 per household.

British Gas, the country’s biggest supplier, said: “The trend for retail energy costs therefore remains upwards.”

Mark Todd, director at the website Energyhelpline.com, said: “From what we are hearing, other suppliers are under similar pressures, so price rises across the board are very possible.

“Wholesale gas increases of 15% typically translate to bill increases of 10%, so we could expect the average bill to rise by around £80 a year.

“On top of this, British Gas has also said that other costs have increased by £50 per household. In total, this would translate to a £130-a-year, or 19%, gas price rise.

“This would take the average UK gas and electricity bill to nearly £1,500 a year, the highest ever.”

British Gas announced a 5% cut in electricity bills in January.

But this followed a 16% hike in electricity prices and an 18% rise in gas prices last August.

The supplier is expected to grow profits by around 13% to nearly £600million this year after slashing costs, including hundreds of jobs, and despite a mild winter reducing demand for gas and electricity.

Owner Centrica benefitted from higher wholesale prices last winter, as it is a major producer.

Finance chief Nick Luff defended higher profits, highlighting the £1.4bn of investment announced recently to guarantee supplies.

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CBI criticises solar subsidy cut

 

CBI criticises solar subsidy cut

The UK's biggest business group has criticised the government's decision to halve the subsidies for household solar electricity by next month.  Under the scheme, people in Britain with solar panels are paid for the electricity they generate.  The CBI said the decision to halve "feed-in tariffs" earlier than planned would force companies to cancel planned work destroying projects and jobs. The government said the changes would ensure the scheme carried on in future.

The new arrangements will see the money households get for exporting back unused surplus electricity they generate back to the national grid fall from from 43p per kilowatt-hour to 21p. CBI director general, Jonathan Cridland said the cut, which it was thought would end in April next year, was the latest in a string of own goals by the government. He said it already turned the carbon reduction commitment incentive scheme into "a pure revenue-raiser" and taxed North Sea oil and gas. In a speech to the CBI East Midlands annual dinner he said: "Moving the goal posts doesn't just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors and they wonder what's coming next.

"Some companies have invested heavily in solar photovoltaic systems and in the supply chains needed to install them.

"That commitment has been undermined by the feed-in tariff decision - and so industry trust and confidence in the government has evaporated. This bodes poorly for investment in future initiatives."

Legal challenges.  He called for an industrial policy that helps the UK expand its share of the low-carbon sector, which he said had been growing globally throughout the recession. The government's decision has already been criticised by the Local Government Association, who warned it would cost councils who had attempted to roll out the technology to poorer households hundreds of millions of pounds. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is also facing two possible legal challenges over the plans from Friends of the Earth and lawyers acting for installers.

A DECC spokeswoman said: "We appreciate this will be difficult for companies affected but what we want is an enduring future for the industry. "If we left things as they are, the feed-in tariff budget would be eaten up entirely, full stop, and that would be even worse for employees in this sector and those working on other technologies too.

"We believe solar photovoltaic can have a strong and vibrant future in UK and we are proposing changes to ensure a lasting feed-in tariffs scheme to support that future."

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