Huhne urges consumers to switch

11/07/11

By Matt Gibson

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has called upon members of the public to increase their use of price comparison websites to save themselves money on energy bills.

Mr Huhne was responding to accusations that household bills are likely to experience a large rise as a result of environmentally-friendly measures being introduced by the coalition Government.

Using price comparison websites can help to keep bills down by forcing energy companies to offer competitive prices in a bid to keep their current customers and attract new ones.

Mr Huhne said: "Switching is a really effective means of the consumer taking some power."

He also insisted that the UK has some of the lowest energy prices in Europe and said that while there may be some short-term increases, the long-term benefits of being less dependent on oil and gas from the Middle East would include lower bills in the future. The new measures will see the UK making more use of renewable energy sources instead.

Mr Huhne's remarks follow the news that British Gas is to increase its gas and electricity prices by an average of 18 per cent and 16 per cent respectively from August 18, impacting upon nine million customers.