Energy prices are rising at up to eight times the rate of earnings, according to research that will put suppliers under further pressure to justify their recent price increases.
As the soaring price of energy starts a national debate on how to keep gas and electricity suppliers in check, analysis from Citizens Advice projects that by next month, the big six suppliers will have increased their prices by 37% since October 2010.
During the same period, average earnings will have risen by 4.4%. Earnings growth has been sluggish in recent years, potentially skewing the comparison, but the research also shows that energy companies’ prices have risen at three times the rate of inflation, which has been 10.2% over the past three years.