With energy prices set to rise once more, it is important for consumers to make sure that the pressure on their finances does not heat up even further.

Such is the claim of TheEnergyShop which revealed that utility suppliers are due to increase the cost of gas and electricity later this year. With standard bills expected to go up towards the end of this summer, it was claimed that electricity prices will face a rise of about ten per cent. Meanwhile, the cost of gas is set to go up by 25 per cent.

As such, the price comparison website urged those people looking to switch provider to take steps to ensure they get a good offer with their new supplier. However, it was stated that capped, fixed-price and other “special deals” are often only made available by energy firms for a limited period of time. TheEnergyShop reported that sometimes firms purchase blocks of energy at a lower price and than allocate them to certain offers. “That is why the cheaper deals disappear first, before the big headline-grabbing price increases are announced,” the company indicated.

However, should homeowners find that they have to face increased utility bill costs then it is possible that they may struggle with other financial demands. And during the current period of economic uncertainty this may result in further difficulties with making repayments on personal loans and credit cards, in addition to managing mortgage, transport and council tax costs.

Joe Malinowski, founder of the price comparison website, said: “With the energy market, because of the lag between wholesale and retail prices, you get early warning signs of price changes. And right now we have a clear warning sign of more misery for consumers. It’s now just a question of timing.”

Pointing out the need for consumers to proactive in tackling higher household bills, Mr Malinowski stated: “This move by npower is a clear signal and customers should see it for what it is; a sign of rising energy bills. If you don’t act to fix your energy bills now, by the end of the summer it’ll be like wishing you’d fixed your mortgage before the credit crunch kicked in.”

However, it appears that some consumers won’t even have the privilege of being able to wait until the summer to see their energy bills increase. It was reported that since the beginning of this week the cheapest deal available for the typical Briton will result in annual energy costs of 878 pounds. Such a figure represents a rise of 10.4 per cent from the most competitive offer that was around last week.

Consumers concerned about their capacity to manage various demands on their spending in the face of increasing household bills might wish to consider applying for a loan. By taking out a low-rate loan it may be possible that borrowers can manage to meet the cost of more expensive gas and electricity costs, in addition to other expenses such as credit and store cards and mortgage or rent costs. This may be of particular assistance to British Gas customers after a recent uSwitch study revealed that moves by the supplier to increase its Click Energy 5 and Click Energy 4 tariffs will see the typical customer’s bill rise by 18.6 per cent from 742 pounds to 880 pounds.

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