The Truth About Your Energy Bill

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This year the average UK household gas and electricity bill has risen by nearly 40 per cent. While more and more families struggle to pay their energy bills, are the big companies that dominate the domestic market making millions in profit for themselves and for their shareholders?

They say they have no choice but to pass on their rising costs to the customer, but is this the truth?

Dispatches reporter Deborah Davies investigates why our charges are so high and how much the companies make from estimating bills. She also asks whether big companies take their loyal customers for granted and if changing suppliers can reduce bills. Dispatches investigates how competitive our energy suppliers really are and confronts the industry on their claims and justifications for their price hikes.

The programme features a single mum with three boys in Liverpool, struggling to pay her massive bills and an Oxford couple with two young children, who have found themselves several hundred pounds in debt to their energy company.

Allegations that Gordon Brown's fuel package does nothing for the majority of people struggling to pay their bills this winter are investigated, alongside the role played by the industry's regulator Ofgem. With the help of a financial energy expert, Dispatches shows how these families and millions of others can save hundreds of pounds without ever reaching for a roll of loft insulation.

Money Saving Tips

If you want to save money on your energy bills, energy expert Anne Robinson recommends you:

• use one of the price comparison sites on the internet to search for a better deal
• consider changing your supplier once a year - the biggest savings will be for people who've never changed supplier but even if you change regularly you should be able to cut your annual bills
• consider setting up an online account as these generally have the cheapest deals. Then take your gas and electricity supply from the same supplier and pay by direct debit
• beware of using pre-paid meters - they are usually the most expensive way of buying electricity
• always check your estimated bill against your meter readings and phone in the accurate reading to your supplier
• always check that your direct debits are covering your bills and you're not building up debt
• turn all your electrical devices off at the wall - don't leave anything on standby
• check your boiler is energy efficient
• check your loft insulation and cavity wall insulation - there is help available from the Govt for those on the lowest incomes (see: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk)
• contact your supplier and insist that they check your meter if you think it's inaccurate. But remember: if they disconnect it and take it away and it's found to be accurate - you will be charged the costs of doing this. Electricity meters can usually be checked in situ - gas meters usually have to be taken away for checking

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