Responding to npower’s price rise of 15.7% for gas, 7.2% for electricity and 12.2% for dual fuel announced today, Consumer Focus say npower have sugar-coated the pill of energy price rises amongst the Big Six.

Adam Scorer, Director of External Affairs at Consumer Focus, said: “It is welcome that these increases are lower than the rest of the Big Six but they will still be hard to swallow for hard-pressed consumers.”

The consumer champions added that ordinary people would still struggle to believe that when wholesale prices are lower, their energy bills are climbing.

Mr Scorer said: “Customers didn’t feel much benefit when wholesale costs were low but have seen prices rocket when costs have gone up. With wholesale costs around a third lower than their peak, understandably people are questioning whether it is right that customers face all-time high prices. Energy markets may be complex to understand, but for many consumers they just defy all common sense.”

Of the Big Six, the only power company left to up their prices are EDF, but many expect it is simply a matter of time.