Awful April is upon us meaning millions of households across the UK are to see their bills soar from today. The painful jump in bills will see everything from energy prices and water, to broadband and car insurance jump up in price.
The average annual energy bill will rise to £1,849 while phone contracts are expected to send bills up by an average of £21.99 annually. Water bills are set to go up by £123 per year on average while the standard rate for cars registered after April 2017 will rise by £5. Broadband bills are to rise by £36 a year on average with the TV licence rising by £5 a year.
Research by money-saving tool Nous.co has found that a typical household will be £450.75 worse off due to increases in energy, water, council tax, mobile, broadband, and entertainment subscriptions.
With every aspect of our life becoming more expensive Martin Lewis has come up a quick hack to help catch stripped Brits save some precious money on their gas and electricity.
On average energy prices are rising by 6.4% a year – or £9.25 per month.
Money saving expert Martin Lewis says that, based on where energy prices are currently at: “If you find a fix for up to 3% more than the current (January to March) or 3% less than the new (April to June) price cap, it’s predicted you’ll save over the year compared with staying on the price cap.”
Emily Seymour, Which? energy editor says switching energy providers depends “on your individual circumstances”.
She told Sky News: “There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to fixing an energy deal as it will all depend on your individual circumstances,” said Seymour.
“For example, if you have an electric vehicle, you might want to look for a tariff which offers cheaper electricity overnight to charge your car.
“As a rule of thumb, we’d recommend looking for deals close to the current price cap, not longer than 12 months and without significant exit fees.”
This increase in bills is on top of hikes in stamp duty, minimum wage and national insurance increases.
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice said: “This April, the reality of a Labour government is going to hit British businesses and workers hard. This is not an April fool but an April nightmare.
“From national insurance rises to farmers being hammered to energy bills soaring, hard working Brits are being hit like never before this April.
