Households with 4 bedrooms facing £329 extra charges from Wednesday

Households with four bedrooms or more are facing extra charges of £329 per year on average from Wednesday as the new energy price cap takes effect.

On July 1, Ofgem’s energy price cap will rise by 13% or £18 per month to £1,862 per year for the average household using both electricity and gas. The increase, which is driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This is up £221 on current levels with the price hike attributed to soaring global energy costs as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. But according to energy price comparison and switching service Uswitch, for homes with four bedrooms or more, housing four to five people, the extra costs are forecast to be even higher.

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High usage four bedroom homes with a typical annual energy consumption of 17,000kWh of gas and 4,100kWh or electricity face an annual average energy bill increase of £329 from July 1, according to Uswitch.

Four bedroom homes with this typical energy consumption currently have an annual bill of £2,302 on average under the April price cap, according to Uswitch, but from July the average annual bill will jump to £2,631 - a jump of £329.

The energy price cap sets a maximum price that suppliers can charge customers in England, Scotland and Wales for each unit of gas and electricity they use, as well as a maximum daily standing charge, which is the cost of having your home connected to the grid.

Gas costs per kWh are rising from 5.74p to 7.33p from July 1 – a 28% rise and the highest level since September 2023, while electricity rates are going up by just under 6%. The price cap is updated every three months meaning the increase from July 1 will be in effect until September 30.

But the price cap only sets the maximum amount that suppliers can charge for each unit of electricity and gas that households use, not the total bill, so ultimately households that use more energy will pay more.

The July 1 price hike is avoidable though, with research from Uswitch showing there are currently 27 fixed energy deals currently available across the market that undercut the new July rates, with the cheapest offering savings of £285 against the upcoming price cap.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “There are currently 27 fixed deals available that are cheaper than July’s price cap, with average savings of £285, so act now to save yourself money.

“It’s important to run a quick comparison to see options tailored to your personal energy usage. The price cap is going up, but your bills don’t have to.”

To avoid being affected by a change in the price cap, households can switch to a fixed rate as this allows you to lock in a price that will remain unchanged for the length of your contract – effectively protecting you from further increases if the price cap rises again.

Although analysts at Cornwall Insight have said they believe the energy price cap will remain fairly steady when it changes again in October. Ofgem is due to announce the next price quarterly cap level for October to December on or by August 26.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said earlier this year she would consider some form of support in the autumn if necessary and if energy prices remain high.