Analysts and consumer groups predict further price rises, political leaders promise a freeze on the price of energy and rumours abound over the axing of green levies on household bills.
But one truism that, oddly, has not been mentioned is that the cheapest energy is the energy you never use.
Switching energy supplier to make a dent in the average annual fuel bill of £1,250 can only do so much.
To get serious with your bills, you need to turn to energy efficiency: upgrading ageing boilers; plugging heat loss with insulation in walls and lofts; fitting double and even triple glazing; and swapping products – from lightbulbs to refrigerators – for lean new versions.
Replacing an old washer dryer with one of the most modern models, for example, could save £500 over the lifetime of the appliance – a saving that retailers are trying harder to communicate, as we report here.
Financial savings aren't the only attraction. As Saffia Sajid describes here, a draught-free and warmer home is also a much better place to live. To see just how far you can take energy-saving at home, click here, where Lem Bingley looks for inspiration into the SuperHome of Andrew Gage.
Energy efficiency measures do sometimes have a big upfront cost, but there is help on hand. Some people can get insulation for free under the Energy Company Obligation (Eco), as Rebecca Smithers explains at the bottom of this article by Fiona Harvey.
Another route is the green deal, which offers loans to help you to get energy-saving measures installed. It's not been plain sailing for the government's flagship green policy so far – as Fiona Harvey reports here – but it has brought lower bills for many households, especially those that have taken advantage of its cashback offer to replace their boilers.
