Energy bills could increase again in the autumn despite the expected April price cap rise, an energy industry expert has warned.
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade body Energy UK, said bills would rise even if wholesale gas prices went down, because of the delayed impact of rising costs.
Bills are expected to increase around 50 per cent in April, when the price cap is expected to rise from £1,277 to £1,925. It could rise again in October, to £2,400, if nothing was done to protect households, Ms Pinchbeck said.
“We haven’t seen anything like this, not in my career or in any of the people who sit on my board,” she said during a panel discussion on Thursday.
The number of households in fuel poverty is expected to rise from four to six million as a result of the April price cap rise. Median income households would have to spend seven to 10 per cent of their income on energy costs, Ms Pinchbeck said.
