Cost of living: What changes will you see to your energy bills?

A number of energy suppliers have announced changes to their tariffs from this month.

They will come into effect at the same time as a reduction in government support.

The Energy Price Guarantee which was introduced in November discounted energy bills by up to 19.9p per unit of electricity and 4.8p for gas.

From January to March 2023 the discount will be up to 13.6p per unit of electricity and 3.9p per unit of gas.

That means the amount you pay for gas or electricity may change between December 2022 and January 2023, so we have taken a look at what that means for the typical household annual bill.

Electricity

• Power NI: No change at £847/year

• SSE Airtricity: Up 31% to £899/year

• Electric Ireland: Up 91% to £1,059/year

• Budget Energy: Up 19% to £1,337/year

• Click Energy: Up 36% to £801/year

Gas

• SSE Airtricity: December 2022 vs Jan 2023 - up 12% to £1,103

• Firmus Energy (Greater Belfast): December 2022 vs Jan 2023 - down 17% to £1,466

• Firmus Energy (Ten Towns): December 2022 vs Jan 2023 - down 24% to £1,327

Director of infrastructure and sustainability at the Consumer Council, Peter McClenaghan, said: "The discount the government has been providing on all electricity and gas tariffs has taken some of the pressure off consumers, but unfortunately the support is reducing which means the price of some energy bills may go up again depending who your supplier is.

"As there are big differences in prices between suppliers, we are encouraging consumers to think about switching their supplier or tariff.

"Some households could make savings of over £1,000 by switching from the most expensive electricity and gas tariffs to the cheapest tariffs currently available."

• Your £600 energy payment scheme questions answered

• Why is the cost of living rising so much?

The government said these discounts will result in a typical household bill, for a house using electricity and gas, in Northern Ireland remaining about £1,950/year to March.

That's cheaper than in Great Britain where the average household will spend £2,500/year on electricity and gas.

For example, from January 2023 Power NI's average customer will pay £847 a year - that's 39% lower than the equivalent in Great Britain where the Electricity Price Cap is £1,395 per year.

As in Great Britain, your exact bill amount will continue to be influenced by how much energy you use.