Energy price increases costing Cornish households millions
Cornish households will have to find an additional £20 million every year for electricity and gas following the massive price increases recently announced by many energy providers, according to sustainable energy specialist Enact Energy.
With energy prices rising by up to 16% following announcements from a range of suppliers including British Gas, E.On and SSE, the 118,000 properties in the county that are not on the mains gas network alone could soon be paying over £5.5 million extra.* (1)
For those homes that are heated using gas, annual energy bills are set to rise by 18%, taking an annual average gas bill from £875 to over £1,032, which equates to around a £16 million annual increase in county-wide gas bills.* (2)
With 20% of households in Cornwall in 2006 classed as being in fuel poverty, Enact Energy believes this number could now spiral as a result of the energy price rises.
The company says it is seeing record numbers of households enquiring about solar electricity and other energy saving initiatives such as cavity wall and loft insulation in a bid to reduce the impact of the soaring cost of their bills.
“The impact that the latest round of energy price increases will have on Cornish households is potentially massive – and in turn people are now really looking at alternative ways of heating their homes and reducing their energy usage,” said John Egan of Enact Energy.
“The collective increased energy bill for Cornwall is staggering and there is no doubt that these new price rises have triggered significant interest in solar electricity in recent weeks. People are becoming more and more concerned with the cost of energy and you can fully understand why.”
For more information on the range of energy efficiency and renewable energy products available from Enact visit www.enactenergy.com or call 0800 093 40 50.
*(1) + *(2)
Rising Cost of heating by Gas and Electricity post August 2011 due to latest price rises
| Average home Fuel Type | Cost before price rise pa | Cost after price rises pa |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity cost | £429 | £476 |
| Gas cost | £875 | £1,032 |
This is an illustration based on British Gas average figures for electricity consumption 3300 kWh per year @13 p/kWh; gas consumption of 16500 kWh per year @5.3 p/kWh; using 11% rise for electricity and 18% rise for gas.
55% of the estimated 215,695 households in Cornwall are not connected to the mains gas network.
