Typical household energy bill up £149 a year in October

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A typical household's annual energy bill will rise by £149 in October under regulator Ofgem's new price cap.

A household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1,717 a year, a 10% rise compared with now.

The cap affects the price paid for each unit of gas and electricity used in 28 million homes in England, Wales and Scotland.

Although prices are still lower than last winter, some government support has since been withdrawn for millions of billpayers.

Energy prices governed by the price cap have fallen twice this year - in April and July - but are to head back up in the run-up to winter.

Prices are much lower than their peak, but they remain well above pre-Covid pandemic levels, and financial support from the government has either been wound down or is being cut.

The final cost-of-living payment was made to eight million people on means-tested benefits in February, and the new government has announced it will halt winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners in England and Wales this autumn. The payment is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

An estimated 880,000 low-income pensioner households eligible for pension credit currently fail to claim it.

The government says it is worth an average of £3,900 a year and claiming it can qualify people for other financial support such as winter fuel payments.

You can check your eligibility for pension credit via the government's online calculator.

Information is also available on how to make a claim. There is also a phone line available on weekdays - 0800 99 1234.

Guide to benefits, when you qualify and what to do if something goes wrong, are provided by the independent MoneyHelper website, backed by government.

Benefits calculators are also run by Policy in Practice, and charities Entitledto, and Turn2us.