TonyGosling
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Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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Location: St. Pauls, Bristol, England
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blackcat
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 2376
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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject: British Gas raises prices by 35% |
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/jul/30/householdbills.familyfinan ce
| Quote: | British Gas raises prices by 35%
Hilary Osborne, guardian.co.uk,, Wednesday July 30 2008
Millions of British Gas customers are set to see their energy bills rise by up to 35% after it announced increases in gas and electricity prices.
The firm, which is the UK's largest domestic energy provider with 16 million residential customers, will raise electricity prices by 9% and gas prices by 35%.
Dual fuel customers will see a 25% increase in their rates, adding £263 a year to the average household bill.
At the start of the year the average dual fuel customer was paying £913 annually - after two price rises this has now increased to £1,317.
British Gas blamed a rise in wholesale energy prices for the price hikes, which will be introduced with immediate effect.
It said wholesale gas prices for the coming winter were up 89% on last year, while wholesale electricity prices had increased by 72%.
The company's managing director, Phil Bentley, said: "We very much regret that we have had to make this decision at a time when many household budgets are already under pressure.
"The simple fact, though, is that we have entered an era of unprecedented high world energy prices.
"The only answer to cope with higher energy prices, I'm afraid, is for all of us to be more energy efficient, and we will be contacting all our British Gas customers to show how they can save energy to try and offset these price rises."
The company, which has already increased prices by 15% this year, said that not all of its customers would be hit by the full increases.
There will be no increases for 2.1 million customers on fixed-price tariffs, while 340,000 vulnerable customers will be spared price rises until April 2009, saving them up to £214 each.
Dual fuel customers on prepayment tariffs will face a rise of 21% as opposed to 25% on standard tariffs.
The firm is the second energy provider to raise prices in less than a week, with EDF increasing its tariffs last Friday.
Other providers are expected to follow. |
Still, inflation is only about 4%!!! 
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"The conflict between corporations and activists is that of narcolepsy versus remembrance. The corporations have money, power and influence. Our sole influence is public outrage. Extract from "Cloud Atlas (page 125) by David Mitchell. |
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