'People will be awaiting energy price cap announcement with dread'

The price cap announcement will be made by energy regulator Ofgem on Friday morning.

‘People will be awaiting energy price cap announcement with dread’ Glegorly via iStock

The energy price cap announcement by Ofgem is being awaited by people across the country with “dread in the pit of their stomach”, a charity has warned.

Citizens Advice Scotland has insisted that there should be no further increase in the price cap, ahead of the announcement being made by the energy regulator early on Friday morning.

Annual household bills are being forecast to soar to more than £3,500 in October.

Ofgem sets the cap based on how much energy firms are having to pay for gas and electricity.

It is intended to protect consumers against overcharging by limiting the amount that suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity.

Ofgem has announced that it will be reviewing the cap every three months instead of every six, with the latest changes set to kick in from October 1.

There are fears that the rise could cause significant financial difficulties for households right across the UK.

Calls have been made for the price cap to be frozen to help people struggling with the rising cost of living.

Ahead of the announcement, due to be made by Ofgem at 7am on Friday, Citizens Advice Scotland called for a pandemic level response to the crisis.

Chief executive of the charity, Derek Mitchell, warned that people will “freeze or starve” without getting urgent help.

“There should be no further increases in the price cap. People will be awaiting today’s announcement with a feeling of dread in the pit of their stomach,” he said.

“CABs are on the frontline of this cost of living crisis and what they are seeing is increasing amounts of people hanging on by their fingertips. They cannot afford another huge increase in bills.

“The Citizens Advice network is already seeing increased demand for, and a direct link between, food insecurity advice and energy advice.

“It’s the summer time, what are people supposed to do when temperatures drop but bills keep rising? People will freeze or starve without urgent help.

“We need to see a pandemic level response from government. That means targeted support for the most vulnerable people and for advice services like CABs.”

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