How much will my fuel bills rise this year?

This is the question many households are asking as the winter fuel bills hit the doormats. Well you could be facing a fuel bill price hike of £100 this year, with an average household rise of £57 in the last quarter alone. So it"s about time you took steps to cut down on your heating costs and look at fuel saving measures before the next cold spell in November 2010.

A 'winter whammy' of the cold snap and high energy costs means households are receiving winter fuel bills of more than £500, according to a study. The average household on standard tariffs will pay a dual fuel bill of £532.70 for the last quarter of January to March, a rise of £57 on last year"s record of £475, price comparison website energyhelpline.com said.

Households will pay £397.70 for gas and £135 for electricity for the last quarter — an increase of around 50 per cent in the last two years. Mark Todd of Energyhelpline said: "This is a winter whammy which will hit many vulnerable people and ordinary families who had no choice but to turn up their heating because of the freezing weather. Politicians have been making false promises about changing the energy market for too long" he said. He further added "In a privatised energy market there is little governments can do and they need to be honest and tell people that the only way to reduce their bills is by taking personal responsibility to find the best deals."

One way in which consumers and business can get the best deal is to replace their old central heating clock with a HeatingSave controller. These controllers are Government approved by both by the Carbon Trust and the Energy Savings Trust to reduce heating bills when compared with a standard central heating system timeclock.