Energy bill variations revealed across England

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35160243

Version 0 of 1.

Average bills for electricity and gas have fallen by about £45 a year, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

People in Merseyside are paying the most in England for their electricity and Londoners the most for gas, the new figures suggest.

Average annual household bills in Merseyside are £1,346 for electricity and gas.

That compared with £1,261 in the East of England.

A DECC spokeswoman said areas such as Merseyside were paying more because of the costs of distribution and transmission from one region to another.

London paid the most in the UK for gas, at £743 per household per year. The East Midlands pays the least for gas, £699 on average per household.

The data reveals households in the Scilly Isles used an average of 7,933 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in 2014, compared with 3,176 kWh in the London borough of Islington.

The figures showed electricity use in England was slightly down on the year before.

The national average in 2013 was 4,099 kWh per household while in 2014 it fell to 4,048.

On bills, the figures showed the East Midlands paid the least for electricity in the UK on credit, at £593 over a year.

In statements accompanying the figures, the DECC said electricity and gas bills had fallen £45 on average, £8 for electricity and £37 for gas.

A DECC spokeswoman said: "Keeping bills down for hardworking families is a priority and we are taking action to support bill payers.

"Energy bills fell by £45 this year and we will continue to work hard to reduce them further. Thanks to Government reforms there are now 31 energy suppliers in the market helping to drive more competition and choice for bill payers to shop around for a cheaper deal. This is up from just six in 2010."

She said gas prices had fallen "due to the lower wholesale costs".