Household energy bills will top £1,500 within three years, forcing millions to ration heating

Household energy bills will top £1,500 within three years, forcing millions to ration their heating, according to comparison site uSwitch.

In a shocking report published today, it suggests that by 2015 six in ten households will go without adequate heating and almost four in ten will switch their heating off entirely.

USwitch bases its research on the fact that energy bills have more than doubled in the last eight years. If that trend continues, bills will reach £1,582 a year by 2015.

But the forecast does not take into account the impact of Government plans to cut carbon and switch to renewable generation.

Energy suppliers have already warned that non-commodity costs or costs outside of their control could push bills up further while two of the Big Six firms have hinted at price rises this winter.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch, said: “The UK is hurtling towards a cliff beyond which the price of household energy will become unaffordable.

“Once the average bill hits £1,500 a year consumers will be forced to compromise.

“Time is running out - if pricing trends continue we will hit ‘crunch point’ in less than three years and that is without factoring in the cost of current energy policy.”

Labour's Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline Flint said: “The Government has to get a grip on energy bills. It’s not good enough for out-of-touch Ministers to tell people to shop around.

“The Government should put all over-75s on the cheapest tariff and overhaul the energy market to deliver fair prices for all.”