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Households have been encouraged to take additional measures including insulation to reduce their domestic fuel bills by organisations such as the Energy Saving Trust. According to Scottish Power’s website the average household will save £160 a year by installing loft and cavity wall insulation. This autumn the same company raised its gas price by 19% and electricity price by 10% – thus wiping out any savings.

A consumer watchdog has claimed many of the cheapest gas and electricity deals are ignored by energy companies when speaking to customers. Researchers at Which? called energy suppliers and asked for the cheapest deal. For example, telesales staff at Southern Electric (part of the Scottish and Southern Energy Group) mentioned the cheapest tariff in just three of the 12 calls. The firm replied there was little price difference between the tariffs, but accepted it could learn from some points raised.

An academic says rising energy bills are causing more fuel poverty deaths. Professor John Hills has called for a new definition of the issue, where people with low incomes are forced into poverty by high fuel bills. His report discovered that in 2004, fuel-poor households faced a shortfall of £256 to heat their homes and avoid poverty, but in 2009 the figure rose to £402.

A House of Commons motion urging action on fuel prices was approved by MPs without a vote, but it is not binding on ministers. One of the MPs said the government should scrap a planned increase in fuel duty to help “hard-working, vulnerable Britons”. Conservative MP Robert Halfon, who tabled the motion, stated that the government must show it is one “that cuts taxes for millions of British people and not just for millionaires”.

British Gas boss thinks consumers will change the way they uses their energy Centrica, the company that owns British Gas, the largest supplier of gas in the UK, thinks that people are going to change the way in which they use energy this winter.

The charity Citizens Advice (CA) said it helped clients with more than 96,000 fuel debt problems last year. It found that 40 per cent when asked are worried about paying their fuel bill.

One in two people say energy bills will put a strain on their finances this year. This was just one of the findings revealed during Big Energy Week from Citizens Advice.

Fears have sprung up about fuel shortages after one of the largest oil refineries in the UK fell into administration.

Gas prices have rocketed as the freezing weather has retained its icy grip across Europe.

The Solar Trade Association (STA) has asked for a me

The news of a suspected government U-turn on an energy efficiency scheme for homes has resulted in Channel 4’s Grand

Protesters entered the headquarters of British Gas to demonstrate over fuel prices.