Scottish Power

Prices will fall for millions of Npower customers following new Government measures to curb the cost of energy bills – but any savings will only soften the blow from winter price hikes.

Millions of Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) customers will see their bills fall, after Government moves to cut the cost of energy tariffs – but the savings will just trim both firms' winter price hikes, so the net result is that prices are still up.

E.on is to hike energy prices by an average of 3.7% from 18 January, becoming the last of the big six power suppliers to announce an increase in its charges.

Households are to be spared the full force of recent bill hikes after power firms pledged to pass on savings from a Government shake-up of energy levies.

2.4 million EDF customers will be hit with gas and electricity price hikes of 3.9% from 3 January, after it became the fifth of the big six energy firms to announce a rise.

Most people aged over 61 are entitled to up to £300 from the Government to help cover the cost of energy bills this winter.

Energy giant EDF has pledged not to hike prices before the end of the year, as power bosses were grilled about price hikes by a committee of MPs.

Just over two million customers will be hit with gas and electricity price rises from 6 December, after Scottish Power became the fourth of the big six energy firms to announce a price rise.

About 190,000 Scottish Power customers will each be paid a share of £8.5 million, after Ofgem found the energy giant guilty of mis-selling.