Life News
UK energy price cap to fall 7% in April: £117 off a typical bill, but should you fix?
Britain's energy regulator Ofgem announced on 25 February that its price cap for a typical household using gas and electricity will fall from £1,758 to £1,641 a year on 1 April, a cut of £117, or about £10 a month. The Irish News, carrying a PA report, said the headline figure is 7%, while Ofgem's own post gives 6.6%. The cap does not apply in Northern Ireland.
Ofgem said the main reason is the budget: the Chancellor moved 75% of Renewables Obligation costs into general taxation and scrapped the Energy Company Obligation. Wholesale prices have also fallen. Rising network costs, up £66 mainly for grid upgrades, partly offset the cut.
“A fall in energy prices is welcome but for many people bills remain stubbornly high.” — Dame Clare Moriarty, Citizens Advice, via The Irish News
Consumer group Which? broke down the new rates: electricity falls to 24.67p per kWh and gas to 5.74p, and prepayment customers will pay £1,597 a year. It said that on 23 February more than 30 fixed tariffs were cheaper than the old cap, the best by nearly £240 a year.
How each outlet framed it
- The Irish News — the policy story: why bills fall, with reaction from Ofgem, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Citizens Advice and Energy UK.
- Which? — the household story: what low, medium and high users will pay, and whether to switch to a fixed deal.
Where the numbers differ: PA reports that dual-fuel standing charges fall by an average of £13 a year. Which? shows why that is an average: the gas standing charge drops from 35.09p to 29.09p a day, but the electricity standing charge rises from 54.75p to 57.21p.