Electricity bills going up for 1.2m customers

UTILITY firm EDF Energy yesterday announced a 2.6 per cent increase in electricity bills for 1.2 million customers.

The price rise comes into effect from October 1 and will hit households on standard tariffs in 11 of EDF's 14 regions including Yorkshire, as well as those on its "economy 7" tariff in three areas.

EDF said it reviewed regional electricity prices in response to recent increases in the cost of distribution and transmission across the UK.

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The group said its price rise would affect 37 per cent of its

electricity customer base, working out to an average 10.82 a year extra per household.

Fixed-price customers and those with gas supplied by EDF will not be affected.

EDF claimed the move "better aligned" regional prices and follows a 16 per cent increase in transmission costs since its last price change in March last year.

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Customers with standard meters are affected in the following areas: Yorkshire, Eastern, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, North Wales, South Wales, North Scotland, South Scotland and Southern.

Standard Economy 7 meter customers are only affected in London, the South East and the South West.

But EDF is offering customers a chance to minimise the impact by signing up for the energy discount plan, which will give a 2.5 per cent discount on gas and electricity as long as customers stay on the plan until the end of next September.

It is also giving affected low-income households a 12 credit this year.

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Martin Lawrence, managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply at EDF, said the group had made "every effort to minimise the size and impact of this price increase".

EDF has 3.42 million electricity customers across the UK.

Industry watchdog Consumer Focus raised concerns that previous drops in the cost of wholesale energy have not been passed on.

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