A new study on the price comparison website www.energyhelpline.com finds that consumers are receiving winter fuel bills of more than £500 due to high energy ci=osts and particularly cold weather.
The average household on standard tariffs will pay a dual fuel bill of £533 for the January to March 2010 quarter, up £57 on last year's record of £475 for a quarter.
The study found that households will pay £398 for gas and £135 for electricity for the last quarter - an increase of around 50% in the last two years.
Energyhelpline director Mark Todd said:
"Politicians have been making false promises about changing the energy market for too long and consumers are now living with the harsh reality of their hollow pledges.
"There is a lot of big talk about big changes and a big society but all the voters are seeing are big bills.
"In a privatised energy market there is little governments can do and they need to be honest and tell people that the only way to reduce their bills is by taking personal responsibility to find the best deals."
The website advises that consumers could save more than £400 a year by moving on to the cheapest online tariffs.
Hastoe Housing Association has announced that the first rural social housing scheme to be assessed for Passivhaus certification has been given the go ahead, following agreement to grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.
Passivhaus is a design methodology for ultra low-energy buildings, promoted by the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany.
There are about 12,500 Passivhaus buildings worldwide, the vast majority of them in Germany and Austria, and the approach is rapidly growing in popularity in the UK as developers and designers consider their options to meet the Government's zero carbon targets.
The Hastoe scheme is in Wimbish, Essex. It was given detailed planning approval - subject to S106 - in mid January of this year by Uttlesford District Council. Comprising fourteen properties, the scheme will include ten homes for rent and four shared ownership properties.
Technical and consultancy advice comes from sustainability in the built environment specialists Inbuilt, one of just twenty organisations worldwide accredited by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany to certify Passivhaus buildings.
Paul Smyth, Passivhaus Manager at Inbuilt, added:
"Passivhaus is the common-sense approach to delivering low energy, healthy and comfortable buildings.
"It integrates with the Code for Sustainable Homes and achieves excellent results for organisations like Hastoe who are committed to sustainable development."
As the land to be developed is on a greenfield site, the scheme is being built under the exception site policy to address local housing need.
It will provide affordable housing for local people in perpetuity, as people will need strong local connections to be housed and no-one will be able to buy more than 80% of their home.
Up to 5,000 households in Scotland will receive £400 towards the cost of a new boiler, following the introduction of the new boiler scrappage scheme.
Households with poor performing boilers which convert less than 70% of fuel into heat will qualify for cashback on a new energy saving model. Upgrading to a greener boiler will help households reduce heating costs by about a quarter and save £190 a year on fuel bills.
From Monday 24th May households will be able to apply online or over the phone through the Scottish Government's Energy Saving Scotland advice network.
Replacing 5,000 boilers will also save around 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - the equivalent to taking 1,700 cars off Scotland's roads, heating the water for 7 million baths or heating 1,300 Scottish homes for a year.
Announcing details of the scheme in Glasgow at a conference on buildings and energy efficiency, Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said:
"Scotland is seen around the world as a champion for low-carbon living. A vital part of this is helping people to live in greener homes which cost less to run.
"Through the boiler scrappage scheme, we will help people replace rickety old boilers for new energy saving models and importantly, put money back in the pockets of householders.
"At the same time, we are providing an economic stimulus for the heating industry, supporting jobs and helping it get through this financially difficult time."
