Electricity

More than a third of people have cut back on their food spending in the last year to help cover their rent or mortgage costs, showing the "tough" choices faced by families, housing charity Shelter has said.

Households are still paying substantially more for their gas and electricity than they were last summer, despite four of the big six energy firms announcing price cuts this week.

Npower today announced a 5% gas price cut for all customers on standard and capped tariffs from 1 February.

British Gas has today announced an average 5% reduction in its standard electricity prices.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) will cut gas prices by a typical 3.8% from 26 March, becoming the third major power firm to announce modest cuts this week.

One of the UK's major energy suppliers offered a glimmer of hope for cash-strapped households today by announcing a cut in tariffs.

Households have been warned not to expect huge price falls if the big six energy firms cut costs.

Poor families struggling to heat their homes this winter are not getting the help they need from energy suppliers, a charity warned today.

Co-operative Energy has become the latest energy minnow to announce plans to cut gas and electricity prices due to the falling costs it pays for energy. But customers of the big six, which represent the vast majority, shouldn't get too excited.