Around 24 million UK households are expected to be affected.
The energy price cap is to be a hiked by a record 80% from October to £3,549 a year, Ofgem has confirmed this morning, reports The Manc.
As the rising cost of living crisis worsens and continues to make its impact felt nationwide, and after inflation hit another new 40-year UK high of 10.1% earlier this month, millions of households across the UK on a typical default tariff are set pay an extra £1,578 on their energy bills in as the price cap is raised from 1 October 2022.
It follows an already 54% increase in April, which saw average bills surge to £1,971 a year, and comes ahead of the predicted tripling of average bills in April 2023.
Around 24 million UK households are expected to be affected by the price spike.
The new price cap level is based on "a transparent methodology and calculations" by energy price regulator Ofgem.
The price cap puts a maximum per unit price on energy that reflects what it costs to buy energy on the wholesale market and supply it to our homes, and it also sets a strict and modest profit rate that suppliers can make from domestic energy sales - but, unlike energy producers and extractors, most domestic suppliers are currently not making a profit, according to Ofgem.
Ofgem says the price cap increase reflects the "continued rise in global wholesale gas prices" - which began surging post-lockdown and have been driven to record levels by Russia slowly switching off gas supplies to Europe.
The confirmed energy price cap rise also comes as Ofgem’s CEO warns of the hardship energy prices will cause this winter and urges the incoming Prime Minister and new cabinet to provide "an additional and urgent response" to continued surging energy prices.
"We know the massive impact this price cap increase will have on households across Britain and the difficult decisions consumers will now have to make," said Jonathan Brearley - CEO of Ofgem.
"I talk to customers regularly and I know that today’s news will be very worrying for many.
"The price of energy has reached record levels driven by an aggressive economic act by the Russian state. They have slowly and deliberately turned off the gas supplies to Europe causing harm to our households, businesses and wider economy [and] Ofgem has no choice but to reflect these cost increases in the price cap.
Ofgem raises energy price cap to £3,549 from October / Credit: Pxhere
"The government support package is delivering help right now, but it’s clear the new Prime Minister will need to act further to tackle the impact of the price rises that are coming in October and next year.
"We are working with ministers, consumer groups and industry on a set of options for the incoming Prime Minister that will require urgent action [but] the response will need to match the scale of the crisis we have before us.
"With the right support in place and with regulator, government, industry and consumers working together, we can find a way through this."
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
The Hoot -
26th August 2022 
