Why high energy bills look like they are here to stay

Energy bills may have been a long way from our minds through the sweltering summer.

Clothes on a washing line have been drying in minutes. Cold showers have been more tempting than hot ones.

But the latest news and forecasts on gas prices will bring a renewed sense of worry and urgency to families, as well as government ministers.

Energy prices will rise by nearly 4% for millions of households in October. Even more striking is a prediction from the respected consultancy Cornwall Insight of a further 9% increase at the peak of winter in January.

With ongoing volatility in the wholesale gas market sparked by events in the Gulf region, the energy sector says high prices are here to stay.

EDF suggests bills will remain "stubbornly high" at their current level at least until the end of the decade.

High bills have, and continue to, bite. Energy prices have been central to the cost-of-living squeeze.

The typical household's dual-fuel bill is now 70% higher than it was at the start of 2021, before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.