Utilities

SSE has been appointed by energy regulator Ofgem to take on Brilliant Energy's 17,000 domestic customers.

Energy suppliers have now confirmed their new prices under the upcoming 1 April price cap. Most biggies, including British Gas, E.on and Scottish Power, have hiked their standard tariffs to the maximum allowed under the cap. Octopus is the outlier, pricing an average £50/year under the cap for existing customers, based on typical use. The new rates will mean huge bill increases for millions – see how your provider is changing prices below.

Millions of BT, EE, Plusnet, Shell, TalkTalk and Vodafone customers will be hit with price hikes of up to 9.3% this spring on the back of a sharp increase in the cost of living. For many, this year's hikes are more than double last year's. We've full info and a handy table below on what's happening and who's affected. 

Over two million households have been switched to a new energy supplier they didn't choose in the past year after their previous provider went bust. But very few caught by this 'safety net' – especially those moved to British Gas – reported having a good transfer experience, with many left waiting months for credit refunds as well as being "left in the dark" about the transfer process. 

If you have old Christmas stamps you CAN continue to use them after 31 January 2023 following a Royal Mail U-turn. The postal service had initially announced, as part of a wider shake-up, that Christmas stamps would be replaced by new barcoded versions from 31 January 2023. This would have rendered old festive stamps useless unless swapped.

Many with older prepayment meters could potentially delay the upcoming price hikes and keep the cheaper rates under the current price cap for a little longer. It's all about 'stockpiling' gas and electricity credit before the rates rise. Here's how it works...

Virgin Media O2 will no longer charge customers a disconnection fee if they move to homes that aren't connected to its cable network. The shake-up could save users £100s - though transfer fees of £20 remain for those who take their cable deal with them when moving home.

More than a million Welsh households in council tax bands A to D will be given a £150 council tax credit to help with the cost of living crisis. The Welsh Government is also doubling its contribution to the Winter Fuel Support Scheme to £200 per household to help with energy bills. Below is all you need to know. 

Octopus Energy will offer free electricity to its 1.4 million smart meter customers who can hit electricity reduction targets during peak hours. We've full info on who can get it and how to apply below.  

About two million EDF Energy customers on standard tariffs will see gas and electricity bills jump by a typical £693 a year from April, after it announced it's raising prices by the maximum allowed under the new price cap.