Energy News

Brits spend £18,000 a year on bills

Thursday 16 July, 2009

By becca.talbot@consumerchoices.co.uk

The average British household pays £18,000 a year in bills - around £1million over an adult’s lifetime – according to new figures.

The average mortgage is £6,182 a year, food costs £3,724, credits card and loan payments equate to £2,791, and gas and electricity bills add another £1,167.

When insurance, council tax, home phone bills, TV licence, broadband and other regular outgoings are added, the total yearly bill is £18,114.50, according to a study by Confused.com.

Gareth Kloet of Confused.com said: “Nobody likes paying bills but many people just pay them each month without giving it a second thought. It’s staggering to find how much all those bills add up to over a year or lifetime.”

The figures came after the government outlined a new green tax which will add an average of £250 a year to bill payers’ energy bills.

The Confused study, among 5,000 adults, found that over half of households are struggling to pay their monthly bills ‘because of the recession.’

Chris Eagle, commercial manager at EnergyChoices.co.uk, said: “These figures really highlight just how much the average home costs to run. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for those customers that have never switched energy supplier, home phone or broadband supplier – shopping around for the best deal really will benefit your pocket.”