Cold weather crunch for heating bills - Kramer

12.00.00am GMT Wed 24th Jan 2007

Susan Kramer (Lib Dem MP for Richmond) has raised the issue of huge rises in energy bills in the House of Commons. She warned that older people and those on low incomes might be worried about the cost of keeping their homes warm.

Speaking during the cold spell that left Richmond and Kingston covered in snow Susan Kramer said:

"With the cold snap that we have experienced over the past couple of days, there will be some people who have decided not to turn the heat up to the level at which it should be for their health and security, because they are exceedingly worried about the energy bills that will result.

"The energy market is one in which there seems to be precious little transparency.

"Some suppliers still plead the need to keep consumer prices high, when the wholesale price for gas has been in sharp decline for months. From March 2006 to December 2006, domestic gas bills rose by about 30 per cent, while wholesale prices fell by 40 per cent.

"There is a case for arguing that the energy suppliers have sticky or jammy fingers, so we need a coherent response from the regulator Ofgem about the issue."