A huge hike in energy bills is expected to be confirmed today - adding misery to millions of homes across the UK.
The price cap sets a limit on the rates a supplier can charge for each unit of gas and electricity you use.
It is reviewed twice a year, with the new levels coming into force every April and October.
Ofgem is set to give an update today on what prices will be for April 2022 - with experts predicting a rise of £600 on average the energy bill.
The current price cap level is £1,277 but is expected to hit almost £2,000 - affecting around 22 million households.
If you're worried about your energy bills, we've answered some of the most common questions linked to the crisis...
Why are energy prices going up so much?
The overriding reason is wholesale prices, or how much suppliers pay for the energy they then sell on to us.
Those costs have rocketed in the past year, partly because economies around the world emerging from Covid lockdowns have all wanted gas at the same time.
Limited supplies of gas haven’t helped. And rising global oil prices have affected gas costs too.
Are you worried about the cost of living crisis? Get in touch: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
Could it get even worse if there is a war in Ukraine?
The short answer is, yes. Russia currently supplies about 40% of Europe’s gas.
Most doesn’t end up with us as the UK has its own gas production and mostly imports supplies from elsewhere.
But any shortage of gas in Europe will have a knock-on impact to what we do buy in, plus a war in Ukraine would cause wider tensions that are likely to drive up both global oil and gas prices.
If it is a temporary problem after the end of Covid and renewal of demand won’t it just level off at some point?
What goes up must come down, that’s true.
But there are concerns that volatility in the wholesale energy markets could last much longer, with one estimate of it doing so until 2030.
Those wholesale prices could ease later in the year, as demand for gas falls when temperatures rise.
That will lessen the pressure on bills, but only until the winter.
When will prices start falling again?
In one sense, bills will start to fall as households use less gas in the spring.But the unit price they pay for that energy will go up.
As it stands, Ofgem reviews its energy price cap twice a year. The next time it could change is in October, although this might be altered.
While wholesale prices have eased, experts say October could bring another rise in the price cap, possibly to an average £2,300 a year.
How much of the increase is down to the new green levies?
From the average £1,277 a year bill, £159 is environmental and social obligation costs, from green levies to the Warm Homes Discount.
Some campaigners are calling for green energy levies, used to pay subsidies to renewable energy operators, to be shifted to general taxation.
Couldn’t the energy companies use some of their massive profits to reduce our bills?
It depends what you class as energy companies. It’s certainly true that oil and gas producers such as Shell (whose results are published today) and BP are enjoying bumper profits.
But the suppliers that we buy our energy from have had their profit shammered by wholesale prices, with some reporting a loss. Dozens of smaller suppliers have gone bust.
