Gas and electricity prices are a concern for 70% of UK homeowners

Recent price hikes from three of the UK’s leading energy providers, coupled with freezing temperatures, have left almost seven in ten homeowners worried about how they will afford their heating bills this winter.

In a poll of 2,714 visitors to comparison site moneysupermarket.com, 40 per cent of bill payers said they were concerned about the cost of heating their property during the colder months.

A further 28 per cent admitted that they were already struggling to keep on top of their gas and electricity bills – up two per cent on last year’s survey.

Recent price rises from three of Britain’s leading utility firms – British Gas, SSE and Scottish Power – have meant that the typical UK energy bill now tops £1,300, with the potential for further cost increases by other companies still looming.

Scott Byrom, energy manager at moneysupermarket.com, said that the energy price hikes could not have come at a worse time.

“The news that their energy bills are increasing at the same time as the freezing weather hits has understandably meant many more people are worried about how they can afford to keep their homes warm this winter,” he explained.

Byrom added: “We use around 40 per cent of our annual consumption during the colder and darker winter months and households could be facing bills of around £500 at the end of the winter.”

However, despite the increasing struggle to pay bills, the number of people who are already unable to afford the cost of heating their home has fallen to just four per cent, compared with last year’s 12 per cent.