Since the announcement of SSE promising to prevent any prices rises back in November, British Gas and EON have now followed suit. Prices are expected to be frozen until April 2017, which will then be under review.
Energy bills have doubled in UK over the past 10 years to an average £1200, and the government has said it is willing to intervene if it believes prices are too high.
Will Morris, SSE’s Managing Director of Retail stated “We understand that the prospect of increasing bills during the colder months is a real concern for customers, particularly as they start to turn up the heating.”
Despite the promise of a price freeze, customers are being urged to switch to cheaper tariffs as they are only being promised on the utility companies standard rates.
One in three working families struggle to make ends meet and pay their energy bills. 29% of families do not put their heating on then the house is cold.
Ofcom are under pressure to ensure suppliers alert customers to cost-saving schemes such as the warm house discount. The scheme offers £140 discount to low income pensioners and other vulnerable groups.
“We want suppliers to engage more actively with customers, particularly those on standard variable tariffs, to help them get a better deal,” said an Ofgem spokesperson.