Energy companies have been criticized by customers who say their direct debit payments have already risen dramatically ahead of the price cap rise in October.
Electricity and gas companies EDF and E-on were among the firms under fire on social media, with one saying its bill had almost doubled.
Earlier this week, experts warned that the average household bill could rise to £4,266 a year in January.
That figure was dwarfed by an even grimmer forecast from consultancy firm Auxilione on Thursday, which said they could rise to more than £5,000 by April.
Are you facing such huge jumps in direct debits? If so, email matt.mathers@independent.co.uk
Ofgem, the regulator, is set to remove the current price cap in October. It is expected to rise to over £3,500.
But one Twitter user using the handle @AFMLambie said their bill had already risen from £252 to £473.
“This is not acceptable @edfenergy How do you expect people to find £473 every month?” the person wrote.
“£252 a month is almost impossible to find and you are increasing my direct debit by almost 88%”.
Another Twitter user, called Neil Jay Edmonds, said his bill had jumped to £959.12 a month for a “two-bedroom flat”.
“Explain yourself @eon_next,” he added. See my attachments. July usage was 199kWh which was billed at £103.63. I refuse to pay it as you keep setting the direct debit at £700+ every month and want to raise it to almost £1K a month in September. Greed to grab money.
Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted on Friday that hard-hit households could expect more help to deal with spiraling living costs and energy bills, regardless of who succeeds him as prime minister.
He also signaled that he believed the current package of measures was not enough to support British households amid a worsening economic outlook.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have been criticized for not promising enough support for struggling households
(PA Media)
Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor and Tory leadership contender, has set out plans for extra help for those struggling to pay their bills.
His rival Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and favorite to replace Mr Johnson as prime minister, has so far refused to commit to what she described as “handouts” to ease the crisis.
A spokesperson for EDF Energy encouraged customers with concerns to contact the firm so they can investigate.
“Any of our customers who are on a fixed price tariff should not see any increase until the time their tariff ends,” they added. “Customers not on a fixed price tariff will see changes to their direct debit at the time of the 6-month direct debit review, where we assess the amount of energy a customer uses and calculate the annual cost based on their rates.
“The annual cost is then spread over the year in equal installments, rather than varying on a monthly basis based on usage.
“Customers retain the option to increase their Direct Debit amounts at any time if they feel they would like to comply with price cap increases.
“In addition, we encourage our customers to consider a smart meter or provide regular readings to ensure they receive accurate bills and help us make more accurate calculations at the time of inspection.
“Smart meters also enable our customers to better understand their usage as well as provide personalized energy saving advice through an energy hub.”
The Independent has contacted E-on for comment.
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