In the next decade household bills are expected to rise even more, and by 2020 it’s predicted homeowners will be paying £300 more for their energy. But this needn’t be the case if more homes took up renewable energy.
Environmentalists have said this increase is down to the fact that Britain is continuing to rely on fossil fuels, rather than pushing renewable energy.
And green taxes have also taken some of the blame, with Friends of the Earth saying these taxes are causing bills to rise.
Electricity is generated from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. This leaves households footing the bill for the increasing cost of removing them from the ground.
But we’ve seen our energy bills continuously rising throughout the century. Since 2000 electricity has increased 30%, coal 71% and gas 78%. Government green policies which are used to subsidise large-scale wind farms and hydroelectricity sites have put an extra £42 on your bills too. If this trend continues, the country’s overall electricity bill will increase by £8 billion by 2020. But if Britain met its renewable targets, this wouldn’t happen at all.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), claim that any rise in energy to combat decarbonisation and promote renewables would be offset by other schemes that’d deal with energy efficiency. They say that by 2020 the average annual energy bill would only rise by as little as £13.
Andy Atkins, executive director for Friends of the Earth, said: “The Big Six are tipping the UK’s energy system in favour of expensive gas while neglecting investment in clean energy and slashing energy waste which would give consumers a better deal in the long run.
“David Cameron must urgently set up a public inquiry into the power of the Big Six energy companies – ending their stranglehold over the UK’s energy system will be good for consumers, good for business and good for the planet.”
But as a homeowner, there are plenty of things you can do to lower your energy bills, and avoid the rising prices.
Renewable technologies produce free energy, and the government will even pay you for every unit of electricity you generate through the Feed-in tariff scheme.
And there are enough renewable options for you to choose from, with solar panels, heat pumps, wind turbines and hydroelectricity systems all possible.
So start generating free energy for your home, with a carbon-free, environmentally friendly product.