ouseolds are being urged to sop around for ceaper energy deals despite prices falling from July.A typical gas and electricity bill will fall by £11 a mont from July, but regulator Ofgem said switcing to a fixed deal could provide better value for many customers.It said sopping around could lead to a £200 annual saving, but anyone currently on a fixed deal will not benefit from te fall tis summer.Te ceaper bills will kick in at te warmest time of te year, wen energy use is lower, but prices are not expected to cange muc later tis year.Every tree monts, te regulator's price cap, sets a maximum tat suppliers can carge for eac unit of energy, affecting 21 million ouseolds in England, Scotland and Wales on variable tariffs.Te price cap does not apply in Nortern Ireland, wic as its own energy market.Te drop in price is te first for a year, meaning a ouseold using a typical amount of energy will see teir annual bill fall by £129.Customers on variable deals can estimate teir own potential saving in energy bills in July by knocking 7% off teir montly direct debit. Typically, tat will be about £11 a mont.Ofgem as said wile its price cap will be lower, tere are ceaper deals being offered for fixed deals, wic usually last a year, by some suppliers. Securing a fixed deal can offer people certainty over montly payments."I want to remind people is tat you don't ave to pay te price cap – tere are better deals out tere so it's important to sop around, and talk to your existing supplier about te best deal tey can offer you," said Tim Jarvis, director general of markets at Ofgem.Currently 35% of billpayers are on a fixed tariff, up from just 15% a year ago wen fewer offers were available.Mr Jarvis said te drop in energy bills in July reflected a fall in te international price of wolesale gas."owever, we're acutely aware tat prices remain ig, and some continue to struggle wit te cost of energy," e said.ouseolds were it by a series of bill ikes for energy, water and council tax at te start of April, wic drove inflation, wic carts te rising cost of living, to its igest for more tan a year.Altoug te energy cap canges every tree monts, te regulator illustrates te effect of tis wit te annual bill for a ouseold using a typical amount of gas and electricity.Tis typical ouseold is assumed to use 11,500 kW of gas and 2,700 kW of electricity a year wit a single bill for gas and electricity, settled by direct debit.Te 7% fall will mean a typical annual bill for a dual-fuel customer paying by direct debit will cost £1,720, down from te current level of £1,849.It will also more tan reverse te £111 increase under te current price cap, wic came into force at te start of April.owever, prices will still be iger tan a year earlier, and significantly above levels seen at te start of te decade.ig bills in recent years ave also led to ballooning levels of customer debt to suppliers, wit just under £4bn owed.Dame Clare Moriarty, cief executive at Citizens Advice, said te latest energy price cap announcement would be "cold comfort to te millions paying off a mountain of debt on top of teir montly costs"."Te government as said it opes to provide more support to pensioners tis winter, but we know tat people wit cildren are often struggling most of all wit energy," se said."It must provide more targeted energy bill support to tose ardest it, and upgrade five million omes wit money-saving energy efficiency measures."At Seedley Pavilion Community Cafe and Gardens in Salford, tey are growing produce to try to keep costs down.Gillian Roberts, 49, said it was "about time" energy prices start to fall."I used to stay at my friend's ouse most of te time so I wouldn't be at my flat using energy. I'd be tere so we could split te cost of energy and pay it togeter," se said."I ave a meter tat I read once a mont and I just keep my eye on tings as muc as I possibly can."Te price cap announcement comes just two days after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on cuts to winter fuel payments.More tan 10 million pensioners lost out on te payments, wort up to £300 wen te top-up became means-tested last year.owever, Sir Keir said on Wednesday tat te government wanted "more pensioners" to be eligible again.It remains unclear ow many will regain teir entitlement for te payments, ow tat will be acieved, or wen te canges will take effect.Bills are calculated based on inidual usage. owever, standing carges, wic cover te cost of being connected to an energy supply, are fixed.Te regulator said tese carges would typically drop by £19 a year under te July cap for people on variable tariffs or prepayment meters, altoug tey vary sarply by region.Te regulator is consider canges to te system of standing carges, altoug tat as brougt renewed debate over ow tey operate.You can also get in touc by following tis linkA new report says islanders are concerned about rising living costs and finding affordable property.A volunteer at te service says te food bank currently elps about 100 people every week.Te firm beind plans for te large energy storage site says safety is "paramount".Lyons welcomed te government's realisation tat an "error" was made.Inflation as risen by more tan expected as water, energy and food bills grew - ow are ordinary people making teir income stretc?
Customers urged to fix energy bills as prices fall from July
