Those doom-mongering Nostradamuses over at uSwitch.com this week revealed their consumer forecasts anticipate average household energy bills will top the£1,500 mark annually within the next three years-but it's not just the Big Six energy suppliers flexing their monopolised muscles that are driving up prices.
Consumers need to take their energy spend into their own hands,says one industry expert.
According to Sarah Inge Parker of Carbon Leapfrog,a UK business-led charity which promotes low-carbon solutions,householders need to wrest control of energy use out of the hands of suppliers and keep an eye on how much carbon they are wasting if they want to save costs.
"The majority of householders are completely disengaged with the energy system,"said Ms Inge Parker,speaking at the SustainabilityLive!event in Birmingham this week."They don't change suppliers and don't check their meters-they rely on estimated readings.
"For the majority of people,it is a relatively small amount of disposable income."
And the expert warned the disengaged customers would lead to further price increases,as a lack of consumer pressure makes it harder for industry regulators to act.
"If you don't have actively engaged consumers who are pushing their suppliers to do better,then it is very hard for the regulators to take any action,"she said.
"We just expect to flick a light switch and then the energy is there-the energy service will be provided.There is very little engagement in the energy system with a lot of people being very passive,and we have to promote that step towards a more active engagement with the energy system."
As well as rallying against your supplier and switching if necessary,monitoring your households'electricity usage is a surefire way to keep your monthly energy costs down.
And solutions such as LED bathroom lights or low voltage garden lights are the first step towards lower costs around the home.
