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Gas & Electricity Latest News Energy providers refuse to cut bills for cash payers

Energy providers refuse to cut bills for cash payers

Energy providers refuse to cut bills for cash payers

Five out of the top six energy suppliers have no plans to lower prices for customers that pay by cash or cheque, it has been reported.

At the start of this month a change was made to the licensing system to allow different prices to reflect the costs for gas & electricity suppliers, as payments made by cash and cheque entail expense in processing costs.

But consumer groups are concerned that this group of customers are paying over the odds for their energy.

Watchdog Consumer Focus has revealed the average difference between an annual bill paid by direct debit customers and a bill paid quarterly is around £100, a 10% increase since April.

British Gas, E.On, Npower, Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern have all said that they have no plans to reduce prices for customers that choose to pay by cash or cheque.

The only supplier to show signs of changing the prices is EDF.

Chief executive of the Energy Retail Association - Garry Felgate, said Ofgem - the energy regulator, was pleased that their prices were in line with their costs, and the main six suppliers were working to keep bills down.

"What the companies are doing is when they're able to drive down costs, they're passing those savings on to the customers," he said.

But Zoe McLeod, from Consumer Focus, highlighted that the new rules clearly state that the increase in costs for quarterly bills could only be due to extra processing costs involved, and should not be seen as a method for increasing profit.

"We do have concerns that despite the introduction of new licence conditions, consumers who pay by cash or cheque continue to pay over the odds," she said.

Malcolm Keay, an expert at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, said there was suspicion that the difference in prices for customers who choose not pay by direct debits may be put into place to encourage customers to switch their payment method.

A spokesman for Ofgem said it would monitor the situation closely and would take action if required.

Earlier this week E.On announced that all new customers who paid by cash or cheque would be billed monthly rather than quarterly.

Written by Sam Gooch
Friday, 25 September 2009 12:16
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