Why you need to make sure that you are being what you owe for energy
While it has been generally recognized that energy bills will increase this year, with the increase averaging between £50 to £60 pounds per UK family, what is not generally known is that around on third of UK consumers are being chronically overcharged for their energy - and on a regular basis.
The reason behind the overcharging is that while energy costs at wholesale levels have fallen over the last few months, most of the major energy suppliers have failed to pass on these savings to the consumer.
With weather extremes becoming the norm, energy bills are becoming an element in a typical family's budget that is becoming increasingly difficult to calculate, and the possibility remains that there are certain energy supply organisation in the UK who might be taking advantage of the situation.
Figures recently released show that the average UK family paid just less than £400 for gas during the peak winter months and around £135 for electricity for the same period.
Consumer protection agencies have issued these figures to provide a picture of what an average family should be paying for energy, while these figures take into account that last year's winter was one of the worst on record, chances are that the winter of 2010/2011 might be just as bad, if not worse. With erratic weather conditions continuing to prevail during the summer months, energy cost is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track off.
Consumer agencies have pointed out that the best defence that the UK consumer has is to try and control their energy use as much as possible in extreme weather conditions. Another defence that the consumer must use is to compare prices online and not be afraid to let their existing energy supplier know that they are taking these steps.
Also problematic is the constant use that energy suppliers make of estimated meter readings to calculate energy bills. With weather situations being so difficult to forecast, as well as energy use, it would be reasonable to expect think that this practice would be largely a thing of the past. In fact, the opposite applies. Recent reports point out that only a quarter of gas bills and less than half of all UK electricity bills have been generated as a result of an actual physical meter reading, carried out by a representative of an energy company.
For that reason, all consumers should carry out their own meter reading, and when their bill arrives, find out how close it is to reality. If discrepancies are found, in either direction, it is the consumer's responsibility to point this out to their energy supplier. While adjustments can take a little time, they will eventually be credited and usually worth the effort.
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