Energywatch: Poorest households should pay less for gas and electricity

Karen Darby, founder of SimplySwitch.com comments: “A move towards social tariffs as suggested by energywatch would be welcome. It would help those in fuel poverty manage their bills and heat their homes.

“It may be summer and energy prices may be falling, but with a recent estimate that three million people in Britain are struggling to pay their energy bills, the issue needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"The most vulnerable households tend to have prepayment meters and they not only pay a premium for their energy, but are left unable to switch to a better deal. Providing they are not in debt, there is no reason why consumers can not take the lead and ask their energy supplier to change their meter from a prepayment meter to a standard credit meter. This will not only mean lower bills and being able to pay by direct debit, but will also leave consumers free to switch to the best deal available.”