Is Your Postcode Dictating Your Gas and Electricity Bills?
Posted October 16, 2008 – 4:25 pm in: Electricity, GasFor a good while now the cost of living has been on the rise, we used to be able to focus all our resentment for this on one factor such as fuel for our cars, it was an inconvenience but at least it was only ever one facet of our life. Nowadays it’s not just fuel, its food, insurance, mortgages, credit cards and utilities in our home.
The increase in some areas such as credit card sand loans can be attributed to the current credit crisis with banks being nationalised and collapsing left right and centre but there’s one expense that doesn’t sit right with many customers, gas and electricity.
Utility companies have been able to keeping going great guns despite customers feeling the pinch as their bills rise and with the winter months now upon us we’ll surely be heading for an expensive Christmas on the utility front. There’s been increase pressure on the big six energy companies to pass on the profits they’ve been raking in over the past few months.
One of the interesting (or should that be infuriating?) points with gas and electricity prices is that they can vary depending on where you live, or specifically what postcode you live in. Studies have shown that some areas of the country are spending 28% more on utilities than in other areas.
The best prices on gas and electricity are in the south east of England according to the research, prices in Yorkshire and Humberside were seen to be significantly higher and considering that electricity bills are hovering around the £1,100 mark at the moment many of us are keenly observing where the best prices are in an extra effort to bring down the monthly expense of living in this country.
Earlier in the year when the price of oil had risen many energy companies put up prices of gas and electricity by 17% and 22% respectively. Since the price of oil has dropped the energy companies have not dropped their prices in favour of generating massive profits.
The pressure for energy companies to pass on these profits in the form of cheaper energy bills is reaching boiling point with many customers who have started leaving the main companies in favour of those who are charging even a few pound less per year in an attempt to show the main companies that their profits are unacceptable when many people are struggling with debts and bills at the moment.
Andy Adams is an IT worker and experienced writer
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