Energy campaigners are calling for the introduction of a ‘social tariff’ to support the poorest households after Ofgem confirmed that energy bills are set to increase again.

The price cap is set to rise by 6.4% (over £100) to £1,849 a year for a typical household from 1 April, Ofgem announced today – a third successive increase.

The announcement comes as a new survey from National Energy Action and YouGov shows that 49% of adults in the UK are expected to ration their energy in the coming months.

The polling also finds that only 42% of adults in say that they have been able to comfortably afford their heating bill in the last three months, without needing to ration their heating or making cuts elsewhere.

National Energy Action Chief Executive Adam Scorer said: “For the third time in a row the price cap is rising. Households already faced sky-high bills as a result of the energy crisis, and today’s announcement will add to the burden on the most vulnerable.

“We already see the impacts of sustained high bills – total energy debt is at record levels and rising, and people are rationing their heating to dangerous levels and going without essentials.

“National Energy Action is calling for additional targeted energy bill support through a social tariff or an expanded Warm Home Discount; a help-to-repay scheme to support households out of debt; and for the government’s Warm Homes Plan to provide significant investment to insulate the coldest homes for the poorest households.”

Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem, said: “We know that no price rise is ever welcome, and that the cost of energy remains a huge challenge for many households.

“But our reliance on international gas markets leads to volatile wholesale prices, and continues to drive up bills, which is why it’s more important than ever that we’re driving forward investment in a cleaner, homegrown system.

“Energy debts that began during the energy crisis have reached record levels and without intervention will continue to grow. This puts families under huge stress and increases costs for all customers. We’re developing plans that could give households with unmanageable debt the clean slate they need to move forward.

“We welcome the government’s support for these plans, and their plans to expand the Warm Home Discount, which will also offer financial help to nearly three million more households that need it most.

“If anyone is worried about paying their bills, I would urge them to reach out to their supplier to make sure they’re getting all the help they can. Where possible, switching or fixing tariffs now could also help to bring costs down and provide certainty over coming payments.”