Average Brighton household could spend over £3,000 a year on energy from October

Ofgem, the UK's energy regulator, announced last week that it will increase the energy price cap from October 1.

It means the maximum price a supplier can charge for electricity will rise on average from 28p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 52p per kWh, while gas will increase from 7p to 15p per kWh.

Including standing charges, it means the average household's energy costs on a variable tariff in the UK will increase by 80 per cent – from £1,971 to £3,549 per year.

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Energy charity National Energy Action said millions now face a "big freeze" and urged the government to act immediately to provide greater support ahead of the winter.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures show the average household in Brighton and Hove used a median amount of around 2,660 kWh of electricity and 10,594.85 kWh of gas in 2020.

A kWh is the amount of energy required to provide one kilowatt of power for one hour and the median – the middle number in a series – is used to ensure the figures are not skewed by extreme highs or lows.

One kWh would run an average oven for around 30 minutes.

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At current prices, it means the average household on a variable tariff in the area would be paying around £1,750 per year to heat and fuel their home.

But when the price cap increases in October, this will soar to approximately £3,240.

Households on a fixed tariff will pay for energy at their current rate until the term comes to an end.

Adam Scorer, chief executive of the NEA, said the scale of harm caused by soaring prices needs to sink in and that warm homes will be a "pipe dream" for many this winter as they wrestle with higher tariffs.

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"Without bold action to support the most vulnerable and those on the lowest incomes, this will effectively prise their fingers from the cliff edge and push them over the precipice," Mr Scorer added.

"The government needs to immediately upgrade the household support package it first announced back in May.

"Households need money in their pockets to weather this storm or we are going to see millions in dangerously cold homes, suffering in misery with unimaginable debt and ill health."

A government spokesman said direct financial aid, targeted at the most vulnerable, will "continue to reach people's pockets in the weeks and months ahead", and that preparations have been made so that this support can be implemented as quickly as possible when the new Prime Minister is in place.