British Gas, Octopus, EDF, Eon customers can use this energy calculator to work out winter bills

Customers with British Gas, Octopus, EDF and other suppliers can get an idea of how they'll be hit by Ofgem's new price cap

UK households can see what they could be paying for their gas and electricity this winter with our energy calculator. Ofgem's price cap is rising from October 1, affecting customers with every supplier including British Gas, Octopus, EDF and Eon.

The cap, which changes every three months, had been on a downward trend, hitting a two-year low of £1,568. However, from Tuesday, it will be set at an average of £1,717 annually for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit. This represents an average increase of 10 per cent per household or £149 per year.

The impact of these changes will vary from household to household. Standing charges will see a slight increase to approximately 32p per day for gas and 61p per day for electricity, while the main change lies in the unit rate going up from 22.36p per kWh to 24.5p per kWh for electricity and from 5.48p per kWh to 6.24p per kWh for gas.

READ MORE:

• DWP announces £49m winter cash payments for poorest pensioners and families

This means that larger properties, due to their higher energy consumption, are likely to face steeper bills, while smaller properties may see a decrease. Gas prices are rising by 14 per cent per kilowatt hour (kWh) and electricity by 10 per cent per kWh.

The changes will affect anyone who has not fixed their tariff at a rate that's lower than the new price cap. You can estimate how much your bill will increase from January using our energy bills calculator below.

Interactive

For those with a prepayment meter, the price cap level is slightly lower at £1,669 a year, while for those paying upon receipt of the bill, the figure stands at £1,829. Despite the increases, energy bills will still be at least 6 per cent lower than last October when the cap was set at an average of £1,834, £117 higher than this year's figure.

As new restrictions take hold, millions of pensioners are set to lose out on Winter Fuel Payments, ranging between £100 and £300. The benefit, previously available to all over the State Pension age, is now limited in England and Wales to those on means-tested support such as Pension Credit, with Scotland intending to adopt similar measures.

Labour has announced an extension to the Household Support Fund which could people in low-income households who would otherwise slip through the net. Councils are being given an allocation of funding which they will each decide how to best use in their area to help struggling individuals and families.

You can get all of today's essential breaking news on the BirminghamLive WhatsApp. Join our dedicated community to receive the latest updates. For more on navigating the cost of living crisis, sign up for our Money Saving Newsletter which is sent out daily with the top stories on benefits, pensions, finances, bills, and shopping discounts.