Last of ‘big six’ raises energy bills

ENERGY group E.on has become the last of the big six energy suppliers to announce an increase in tariffs this winter.

Its average dual fuel bill will increase on 18 January by 8.7 per cent, with electricity going up 7.7 per cent and gas 9.4 per cent.

Having pledged in May to keep residential energy prices on hold during 2012, E.on said the new year rise was necessary because of the price of energy on the wholesale markets and regulatory costs.

E.on has about 4.8 million domestic customers, and 800,000 who are on fixed and capped tariffs will not be hit.

The company’s chief executive, Tony Cocker, said: “We have held back from increasing our prices for as long as we possibly could and worked hard to reduce our own costs as a business.”