Brits should turn up the heat on energy companies

Mark Greening, Head of Utilities for leading comparison website Gocompare.com, comments on British Gas reducing their standard dual fuel tariff by 7%: "The price cut introduced by British Gas may be good news for some but it's wrong to assume that one tariff will be best for everyone. For example, people using Gocompare.com to compare dual fuel tariffs save, on average, £285.37 compared to the £55.00 British Gas say its typical dual fuel customer will save if they remain with them.

"British Gas may be the first of the energy giants to cut its bills following almost a year of lower wholesale gas prices but it's highly likely that others will now follow suit. However, with the recent severe weather and Ofgem indicating that a price hike will be needed to fund vital infrastructure improvements, these lower prices may be short-lived.

"Energy companies don't have a great reputation for swiftly passing on the benefit of wholesale price drops and this quite rightly annoys consumers. Ofgem can't force energy companies to pass on savings when wholesale prices fall so it's up to the British public to turn up the heat by frequently shopping around to ensure they're getting the best deal."