Various companies have announced that they will be lowering their energy prices in the spring. This is excellent news for all consumers.

I doubt that any company is going to make a move until British Gas make their announcement which will probably happen after the 22nd February when they announce their annual profits.

In the meantime it’s a case of watch and wait.

British Gas is not only the UK’s most expensive energy provider, it also provides the worst customer service according to research from Energywatch. The consumer watchdog said complaints about British Gas in the six months to September were twice last year’s total, while complaints about its rivals fell.

The top problems were inaccurate bills and the lack of response to enquiries.

BG are investing £400 million to transform the way it deals with it’s customers with new billing systems and better trained front line staff. That equates to approximately £23.50 that each of it’s 17 million customers are paying just to get decent support………….what you thought that BG would finance this from their own coffers! They’re hardly going to do that are they, just think what that would do to the shareholders’ dividends and the directors’ bonuses.

So Npower has announced their third rise in domestic gas prices this year, with it’s customers paying an extra 17.2% for the privalege of heating their homes and cooking with Npower gas. This means that from October 1st. there will be, on average, an increase of £92 per annum for Npower’s customers.

Npower’s first price increase this year was back in January with a rise of 15% and then again in April by another 15%.

What this means is that, since January 2006, Npower’s gas prices has increased by a massive 55%.

It was reported that a spokesperson for the company promised that there would not be any further increases this year.

What is scandalous about this latest price increase is that the wholesale price of gas has come down over the last 4 months by more than 20%. So yet again the poor British consumer suffers.

Just before people start to think that I’m singling Npower out, also worthy of mention are the following:

British Gas increased their prices by 22% in March and a further 12.4% this month. A 37% increase this year.

Powergen increased their prices by 24.4% in March and 18.4% in August. A 47% increase this year.

And finally EDF Energy who increased their gas prices by 14.7% in March and 19% in July. A 36% increase this year.

So unless the weather is going to be particularly mild this winter, it looks like some households may be in for a bleak Christmas.