The purported 13 per cent nPower electricity price rise should be taken with a pinch of salt. I have called nPower twice (the second time for confirmation) today in order to find the new tariffs. Based on the figures given (twice!), my electricity bill will rise by 40 per cent. I'm switching today!!

Paul Turner, Corsham, Wiltshire

Maybe now is the time for every customer of NPower to switch supplier, if NPower go out of business over night, then maybe the other suppliers will think twice.

Robert Knowles, Preston, UK

How many layers of management are the consumers subsidising with a price hike of 17%? How does the price proposed compare with the charged in Germany?

David , Chorley, UK

If there is one thing that will cause severe unrest in this Country is when Russia decides to cut off the gas supply that, in maybe 2 decades time or less, they will monopolise and then we should really worry. Again I say that we need to renationalise all the essentials such as Energy, Transport, Health and Education so that we do not have to rely on what private companies do. As for present price increases, I hope that the Government realises that if these increases go the same way as the fuel prices then they will will have riots on their hands.

John, Woking, Surrey

This latest increase in one of the necessities of life exposes New Labour's deciet over inflation figures. Sure, white goods are going down, but they are usually one-off purchases, not regular outgoings. Looking at gas, electicity, petrol, food, rail fares, bus fares, council tax and so on, the real rate of inflation has been in double digits for ages. When will the British people wake up to the dishonesty of its governing class?

Bruce Burniston, Swansea, UK

As electricity is distributed via a national grid how can distribution costs vary? With regard to national variations in gas distribution prices, why am I living in N.E. Lincs so not far from Easington where gas is piped from Norway, to be subjected in an extra swingeing increase. None of this is justified by Npower and as Daren in Redcar says this is just an excuse to increase profits probably affected by them asking us to be efficient and use less fuel!!

Carol Dunn, Grimsby, England

I've worked in the oil and gas industry for many years now and I know the price of oil and gas on the market at any one time. 53p/therm is very very reasonable price for this time of year bearing in mind the recent cold snap,and is likely to drop again in the coming months to its usual 24p or thereabouts. We have the north sea interconnector pipelines now which has steadied the overall gas price throughout the year. In real terms the cost to the average householder is far more than the 17% rise due to what the average householder is likely to get in their "cost of living" pay rise. The energy companies really are taking a liberty with us the consumer, we need to take a stand as we did when the petrol prices were over-inflated a few years ago.

Daren, Redcar,

Surely this market is a prime example of a cartel - look how every energy company suddenly finds a reason to raise prices within days of each others. This Government needs to get their heads out of the sand and stop listening to big business alone - look at Kenya and heed the lessons or face the consquences.

Jack, London,

INFLATION? - 17% Gas 13% Electric increases.
Chinese video recorder £29.99 - 40% decrease.
All into the magical RPI shopping basket - 2.1% INFLATION?

Ben, Preston, UK