能源价格飙升 账单也在变大

Scotland today, everywhere else tomorrow. No one expects Scottish Power to be alone among the big energy suppliers to increase their prices before winter comes. All say they keep their prices under constant review, but British Gas has warned that wholesale prices this winter will be 25% higher than last year, and end-user prices are yet to reflect this.

"You know, it's a huge rise, you know, in comparison to the rise in wages. We lack that rise in wages. Yes, it's enormous, so you know, impacts a lot of people very seriously."

"How can I afford that on my salary because my work never increase, they never increase our salaries, and yet we're expected to pay all this money for gas and electricity."

If all the energy suppliers increase their prices in line with Scottish Power, it will add 180 pounds to average household bills this year. That follows the latest wave of price increases that ended in March, adding 63 pounds to annual bills. Wholesale energy costs have grown. Scottish Power says it's absorbing most of the 30% increase in the price it pays for its gas and electricity, but this is a multi-billion-pound industry with ever increasing profits.

"Scottish Power made in 2010 1.3 billion pounds, and if you look at Southern Electric, they made 2.1 billion pounds of English made. So that's just two companies. It's enough for all. And they would have made, some of them made even more. It ends up so * , so there is lots of money there."

The gauntlet has already been thrown down to the energy firms. The watchdog Ofgem says they are failing customers and has made recommendations on how they should change their ways. Next month, they will decide if they have shown a real willingness to do so or if the competition watchdog needs to intervene.