The ‘conspiracy’ that keeps energy prices rising
Talking Point: Is there a solution to our energy woes that we aren’t being told about?
A MEETING between the Prime Minister, the Energy Secretary and energy companies took place yesterday against a background of growing anger among consumers over rising energy costs. The solution, according to the government, is for consumers to shop around for a better deal. But are we missing something?
Why bother shopping?
Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary was right when he urged customers to shop around, says an editorial in The Times. But in reality, "you have to be a maths professor to check your energy bill" and understand the complexity of tariffs.
Why are we even stuck with this tedious chore, asks Daniel Knowles in The Daily Telegraph. "The Government, or the regulator, ought to be perfectly capable of working out the cheapest price and insisting suppliers sell to us at that."
Why hasn't anything been done?
The real scandal over the "Big Six" energy companies is why the regulator, Ofgem, has taken so long to wake up and act, says Terry Macalister in The Guardian. This unofficial cartel has "been running roughshod over the needs of consumers for a decade".
Ofgem has revealed that power providers are making £125 profit per customer, compared with £15 a few months ago, and has set in motion initiatives to ensure that smaller independent companies are not kept out of the supply markets. But the regulator seems to only be responding now "a political hurricane is blowing".
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