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Strategies & Market Trends : The coming US dollar crisis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Real Man who wrote (20900)	6/22/2009 7:22:32 PM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 71456

Have you "future proofed" your energy bills? ananova.com Energy Bills 'Could Soar To £5,000 A Year' Consumers have been warned to "future-proof" their energy bills after figures suggested they could spiral to almost £5,000 a year over the next decade. The cost of gas and electricity has more than doubled in the last five years and there is no sign the pace of the rises will slow down, according to price comparison service uSwitch.com. This could mean bills reach as high as £4,733 a year by 2020, nearly four times higher than they are at the moment, the company said. The average household energy bill is currently £1,243 a year - more than double the £580 it was in 2004. uSwitch blamed increases on ongoing volatility in the energy market and huge spending on Britain's energy infrastructure. A total of £233.5bn is being invested in energy supplies, according to professional services giant Ernst & Young. Almost half the investment will go towards renewable energy and the rest on power plants, upgrading pipes, reducing carbon emissions and the roll-out of smart metering, which removes the need for meter reading. But the cost of the programme will add £548 a year alone onto the average household energy bill for the next 15 years, uSwitch said. Director of consumer policy Ann Robinson described the forecast as "a wake-up call for us all". She said: "The fact is we are entering a new era of high-cost energy and households will have to adapt their behaviour accordingly." Consumers should invest in making their homes more energy efficient, reduce the amount of energy they use and make sure they are paying the lowest possible price for it, Ms Robinson added. She said people should not be scared to speak to their supplier if they are struggling with the costs and should ask the Energy Saving Trust for tips on how to reduce their bills. She added: "The key thing is to start future-proofing yourself against higher energy bills now."