Yahoo Finance One in three UK households 'will pay higher energy bills' this winter
Ofgem expected to announce reduction in the energy price cap from October
More than one-in-three households in England will pay higher energy bills this winter compared to last winter, according to new research by think tank Resolution Foundation.
This is equivalent to 7.2 million households, with 47% of those in the poorest tenth.
It comes as energy regulator Ofgem is expected to announce a reduction in the energy price cap from October on Friday.
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Typical annual energy bills are expected to fall from £2,100 last winter to around £1,925 this year, largely driven by falling wholesale gas prices.
However, Resolution Foundation said the reduction in bills by almost £200 masks a wide variation for households.
“Although the price per unit of energy is falling, this will be offset by a rise in the daily standing charge, and the fact that last winter’s universal £400 energy support is not being repeated," it said.
As it stands, the government is offering cost of living payments totalling £900 during 2023-24 — up from £650 last year — to around 8 million households.
The government also appears to be opting to reform the Warm Homes Discount (WHD) scheme. However, this only offers £150 in support, according to Resolution Foundation.
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It comes as the UK has been criticised by many for lagging behind countries like France, the Netherlands and Finland when it comes to renewable energy investment.
“The UK remains slow on home energy efficiency, with rates of insulation delivered through government schemes falling by 45% in 2022 (on already poor 2021 levels),” the report said.
Jonathan Marshall, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “In the longer term, the government needs to reduce the UK’s dependency on gas, and improve the state of our home insulation, to prevent the winter energy crisis from becoming an annual occurrence.”
Watch: Energy bills expected to fall £150 a year from October, say analysts
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