Households will need an extra £203 per month to cope with April bill hikes, according to Comparethemarket.com

Many bills including energy and broadband are set to increase in Spring amid the ongoing cost of living crisis costing households an extra £203 per month, according to Comparethemarket.com
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New research from Comparethemarket.com reveals households expect to need more than £200 extra per month to cover the increase in bills set to take place in April. The increase comes as the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee that caps the cost of energy bills will increase from £2,500 to £3,000 in April 2023.

According to Comparethemarket.com’s latest Money Action Index, the cap increase will mean nearly eight in ten households (77%) can expect to pay more for energy bills in the next six months. The index tracks the proportion of households who are concerned about the rising cost of living and are taking action to get their finances under control.

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The latest index reveals almost half of households (48%) have found it difficult to pay bills in recent weeks. This increases to 61% of households with children at home. Households with children at home are expected to need an additional £238 per month to cover April’s bill increases.

Additionally, the increase in the cap could mean more than a third of households (35%) expect the cost of broadband to rise as suppliers are set to introduce inflation-linked bill increases in April.

The index also found a third of households (34%) expect the cost of their car insurance to increase and 28% expect higher home insurance bills. The latest data from Comparethemarket.com shows car and home insurance have increased by a combined average of £93 year-on-year.

Following the study chief executive of Comparethemarket.com, Mark Bailie, said: “Millions of households will be concerned about a potential bill shock in April. Our figures show household bills already jumped by £1,316 in 2022, so further increases will mean many will struggle to make ends meet. Lots of families with children at home are now having to rely on parents and grandparents for additional financial support.

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Bailie adds: “During this difficult time, people must take the time to look for savings wherever they can and make sure they don’t pay more than they need to. Most households could save hundreds of pounds by shopping around for cheaper deals on their bills, such as car and home insurance, broadband, and credit cards. Comparing prices online is one of the best ways to check you’re getting the savings you deserve.”

Despite the upcoming increase in bills, nearly six in ten (59%) households who are worried about rising costs have not been able to bolster their finances. Only 31% of households have taken action to save money. This is only a four-percentage point improvement from August 2022 when 63% of these households had not tried to improve their finances, despite costs continuing to rise.

To combat rising prices, households could save up to £533 by switching their car and home insurance through Comparethemarket.com. This includes a £374 saving on motor insurance and a £159 saving on home insurance. In addition, one in three customers could save an average of £188 by switching broadband through Comparethemarket.com.

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