Between 1 April and 30 June 2025, the energy price cap has been set at £1,849 per year for a typical household who use electricity and gas and pay by Direct Debit

• Full story: Average annual energy bill to rise to £1,849 in Great Britain from April

Several UK charities are warning that this morning’s rise in the energy price cap (which covers England, Wales and Scotland) will hurt struggling householdss

The Centre for Ageing Better is concerned that millions of older people already struggling on low incomes will be put into even greater difficulty with increasing energy costs, having already lost their winter fuel payments last year.

“It is so dispiriting to learn that bill payers must brace for another substantial increase to energy prices from April. For those living on the breadline, desperately struggling to meet the basic costs of everyday living, this will be heartbreaking news.

There are millions of older people who no longer qualify for winter fuel payments who live on paltry incomes that do not even cover the basics of a dignified life. They simply will not be able to afford higher energy prices and will cut back usage further, at significant risk to their own health.

“Today’s price cap announcement is more bad news for the older people in poverty that have already been subjected to a brutally long and cold winter. We now know that energy prices will rise again by 6%, from an average of £1,738 to £1,849. People in later life on low fixed incomes have stretched their budgets to breaking point during the colder months, and many tell us they don’t have enough money to turn the heating on full stop. Now, their bills rise yet again to amounts they simply cannot afford.

“History cannot be allowed to repeat itself next winter. The UK Government needs to put in place plans that support older people in financial hardship to turn their heating on. Since the changes to Winter Fuel Payment were made in July, our helpline has seen a massive increase in calls regarding the payment, and many of the people we have spoken to have made drastic cutbacks, such as only living in one room and cutting down on food.

“We’re particularly concerned about households with children, where over one in three struggle to afford bills, rising to more than half of those on low incomes.

“The government can’t let another winter go by without targeted support for those most in need, and there is a way of paying for this. Our recent analysis found energy network companies made billions in excess profits while households have faced soaring bills, and it’s only right this money be used to help fund better targeted bill support and much-needed debt relief.”

“There is a sense of déjà vu in the energy market as we watch the price cap rise for a third consecutive time, with the volatile international wholesale market once again the main culprit. Households have been promised falls in bills, and many will be understandably irritated with what they may see as a failure of government energy policy. However, the reality is, our gas-led wholesale power market and reliance on international imports limits the impact of what any government policy can have - at least in the short-term - there is only so much you can do when prices are rising across the world.

“That’s not to say the government and the regulator are without options to help lower consumer bills. Ofgem has ongoing consultations looking at the non-wholesale costs included in the cap, and of course the government has levers it can pull from social tariffs to support payments.