Energy bills set to hit £2,100 as charities warn 25 per cent winter surge will put pensioners' lives at risk

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

Charities and energy suppliers are raising the alarm over a winter energy crisis not seen since 2022, with forecasters predicting a 25 per cent rise in gas and electricity bills by January on top of October's already-delivered 4 per cent increase. Energy UK chief executive Dhara Vyas warned Britain "cannot afford to wait for the same scale of crisis before acting again," urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to deliver targeted rebates and a debt relief scheme. The typical annual bill, now £1,723 after Thursday's price cap rise, could hit £2,100 by early 2027 — approaching the peak seen when Russia's Ukraine invasion devastated European gas supplies. Middle East conflict and Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions are driving wholesale costs higher, wiping out the savings from Burnham's VAT cut.

Age Scotland chief executive Katherine Crawford called the predicted rises "absolutely unbearable" for hundreds of thousands of older Scots already in fuel poverty.

Customer debt across the energy sector is already on course to reach £7bn by year end, adding an average £67 a year to every household's bill, according to Energy UK.

Burnham has promised "breathing space" in this month's Budget, but Energy UK says his VAT cut alone will not go nearly far enough.