Households set for a New Year energy shock as 13 popular fixed tariffs end and increase the average bill by £78

• e-mail

Households are set for a New Year energy shock as 13 tariffs end on December 31, increasing the average bill by £78.

EDF Energy, M&S Energy, Npower, SSE, Scottish Power and iSupplyEnergy all have tariffs that will end as the New Year arrives.

Scottish Power customers on the Online Fixed Price Energy December 2014 deal will see the biggest increases, with the average bill set to rise by £112.92 to £1,199.12.

Bill headache: EDF Energy, M&S Energy, Npower, SSE, Scottish Power and iSupplyEnergy all have tariffs that will end as the New Year arrives

The typical increase will add 8 per cent to household energy bills, according to figures from Go Compare.

‘Those whose fixed tariffs are coming to an end this month and have yet to shop around and switch must take action now,’ says Jeremy Cryer, head of energy at the comparison website GoCompare.

‘It’s important that people make sure they are on the right gas and electricity tariffs so they can reduce their big winter bills.’

It can take up to eight weeks to switch energy supplier, so those who take action now could still be stuck paying higher rates for six weeks before their new tariff kicks in. 

There are nine tariffs available where the typical dual fuel bill is less than £1,000.

The top three deals come in at £951. These are the iSave Fixed v41 March 2016 from First Utility, and the Fresh Fixed Price March 2016 v1 and Merry Christmas Fixed Price Jan 2016 v1, both from Extra Energy.

Meanwhile, peers have thrown out an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill that would have stopped utilities charging customers extra for a paper bill.

The vote in the House of Lords was backed by consumer group Keep Me Posted.

Campaigners want households to be able to choose how they receive financial statements without paying a penalty.

At the moment, telecoms companies including BT, TalkTalk and Sky charge up to £1.50 a month extra for paper bills.