UK Household energy bills maybe 'unaffordable' in less than three years

Energy bills have more than doubled in the last 8 years – if this trend continues bills could reach £1,582 a year by 2015 and £2,766 by 2018.

But almost six in ten people (59%) say that energy will become unaffordable in the UK if the average bill hits £1,500 a year, with the average household  bill today already £1,252 a year.

£1,500 a year was identified as the tipping point at which three quarters of households would be forced to ration energy – 59% will go without adequate heating, while a third would be forced to turn their heating off entirely.

Suppliers are already indicating that non-commodity costs or costs outside of their control could push bills up further, with two of the Big Six hinting at price rises this winter.

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch, says: “The UK is hurtling towards a cliff beyond which the price of household energy will become unaffordable. Once the average bill hits £1,500 a year consumers will be forced to compromise on their comfort, health and well-being.''

“At the very least, consumers have the right to know what the impact of energy policy could be on their bills. This will give them time to adapt accordingly by ensuring that they are paying the lowest possible price for their energy and are using energy efficiency measures to protect themselves against higher prices.”

With this repeated message of energy price infaltion this must surly help consummers to make positive switch toward the opportunities of producing their own power and making steps toward energy efficiency and better insulation.

The household 'affordability' ceiling

	£1,500 a year bill	£2,000 a year bill
Rationing energy use	77%	88%
Trying to reduce bills through energy efficiency measures	84%	91%
Going without adequate heating	59%	75%
Turning heating off entirely	36%	55%
Cutting down spending in other areas, such as food	54%	70%
Going into debt to pay energy bills	27%	41%
Going onto a prepayment meter (PPM) to keep a lid on costs	22%	33%
Installing a wood burner or alternative method of heating	26%	39%