Our reluctance could be costing us dear. Whether it's due to loyalty to a regional energy supplier, a shortage of time, or just plain indifference, those of us who neglect to choose a cheaper online monthly direct debit tariff are missing out on average savings of £343 a year.
Mark Todd, director of Energyhelpline.com, said: 'When it comes to domestic fuel, the do nothing option is normally the pay more option. Today's energy market is competitive and fairly loosely regulated.'
Overall, households in the North of the UK are paying more for their domestic fuel than those in the South, with those in the Scottish Lowlands worst affected of all. People in Glasgow and Edinburgh and all the Scottish Central Belt pay the most with a typical gas and electricity bill of £1,192. Consumers in Merseyside and North Wales are next on £1,186, while the cheapest area to live in is the South East of England where the typical dual fuel bill is £1,114.
In regions - such as the North - where many people fail to choose the direct debit tariff, the average bill per household goes up. Conversely, in regions where many people sign up to such a tariff - such as the South - the average bill comes down. Across the country, this difference in averages works out at about £80 per year. For individual households, it can be far more.
Mark Todd points out: 'There is a distinct North-South divide on energy prices in the UK which is directly related to the fact that so many people decide to stay with the default energy supplier for their locality.
'A variety of factors influence bills across the UK such as the weather, the default supplier for a particular region, local pricing policies, individual energy use, proximity to pipelines and transportation costs.
'Obviously, customers can't control some of these variables but what they can do is look at how energy efficient their homes are and also seek out the best deals.'
Northerners Pay More for Energy
