Homes in the coldest parts of the UK are spending up to 66 per cent more of their weekly budget on heating than properties in London, research shows.
Areas such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern England have to spend far more on gas and electricity , the Office for National Statistics has said.
Unsurprisingly, these regions need higher heating bills than warmer places such as London - where homes pay the least in energy bills.
But new research has revealed the scale of this extra spending.
The average property in Northern Ireland spends more than 50 per cent more on energy bills compared to London .
Homes in Scotland and Wales pay 40 per cent to 50 per cent more.
Devon and Cornwall pay just 10-20 per cent extra when compared to the capital, while Kent and Essex pay less than 10 per cent more.
Last month The Mirror reported that energy bills are set to soar by an inflation-busting £240 this year .
Research by the Energy Saving Trust found the outlay for a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home could surge to £1,360 in 2022.
With the energy price cap – which impacts 15 million households – expected to jump in April, the Trust says many could see the cost of heating their homes hit unprecedented levels.
To help, the Trust has 12 tips to save energy and up to £248 on bills, as well as reduce carbon emissions.
They include saving £40 a year by turning devices around the home off standby or on to idle mode.
Another £30 can be clawed back by plugging gaps around windows, doors and floorboards with foam strips, plastic seals or brushes, while £14 a year can be saved by turning lights off when leaving a room.
Keeping shower time to four minutes can save £45 a year, it said, while drying clothes on racks inside instead of a tumble dryer could knock £40 off the typical household’s annual energy bill.
Many energy companies are going out of business due to a combination of rising gas prices and the energy price cap, set by the Ofgem regulator.
This cap limits the amount firms can charge the average customer on their default gas and electricity tariffs - usually variable-rate deals.
But these providers are grappling with the soaring cost of gas - which currently costs five times its normal amount.
Energy firms cannot pass all of that cost on to consumers due to the cap. Since October 1 this has been £1,277 a year for normal energy use.
As a result, many are being forced to stop trading.
