Brits will have to act fast to get some of the cheapest energy deals , as many are being pulled from the market within hours of being launched.
Energy bills have been soaring for several reasons, but mostly the rising cost of gas .
On April 1, a price cap that limits energy bills for the average household to £1,277 a year will rise to £1,971 for gas and electricity on variable-rate deals - an increase of £693.
Before energy bills began rising last year, the cheapest deals were normally fixed-rate ones.
The most expensive ones were variable rate deals, which consumers normally ended up on because their fixed rate deal expired and they did not switch.
Energy regulator Ofgem brought in the price cap to curb the runaway prices energy firms charged for these variable deals, as it felt consumers were being punished for loyalty.
But as energy prices rose, fixed-rate deals became generally more expensive than variable ones - because fixed-rate deals are not subject to the price cap.
But now cheaper fixed-rate deals have been coming back - just often for a limited time only.
Energy firm Octopus yesterday came out with a "limited number" of places for a tariff costing £1,950 for a house using average energy amounts, the Sun reports .
But the three-year fixed rate deal sold out within hours.
Another energy provider, E.on, came out with a cheap fixed-rate deal for existing customers only.
It too sold out within a day after MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis flagged it up on Twitter .
E.on confirmed to The Mirror that the deal was pulled following the unprecedented demand.
The cheapest deals are also not available to absolutely everyone. Energy firms might have a limit on how many customers they can take in a certain area, for example.
But currently, there are some cheap fixed rate deals on offer for example for a two-person household based in London needing gas and electricity, according to searches run by The Mirror.
The cheapest is £104 a month, or £1,250 a year, from Sainsbury's Energy. The deal is fixed for one year and has no early exit fees.
E:on Next has a deal priced exactly the same, and with similar terms.
The second-cheapest quote is £119 a month, or £1,433 a year, from Outfox The Market.
The deal is fixed for a year, but customers would pay £100 for leaving before that term is up.
Consumers worried about rising energy prices should keep an eye on the market and be prepared to switch.
However, for most Brits, the cheapest option is almost definitely to stay on a deal limited by the Ofgem price cap.
Fixed-rate deals can come with expensive charges for leaving them early.
And some fixed rate deals can last for up to three years, so taking one out means betting that energy prices will not fall too much in that time.
If they do, you could be stuck paying far above the going rate.
Why have energy bills been going up?
They are rising for several reasons.
Much of the increase reflects the soaring cost of gas, not electricity.
Reasons behind this rise include supply and demand, as there was a very cold winter in Europe last year.
British homes are heavily reliant on gas, making the problem worse.
Most homes (86.3%) have gas central heating, the Office for National Statistics said.
Ofgem is due to adjust its price cap again in October 2022, where prices are largely predicted to rise again - sparked by soaring wholesale gas prices and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict .
