There is nothing like a crisis for causing an attack of commonsense.

bob holmes , Axbridge , Somerset

Well that does it, for the first time ever I am now a Conservative voter.

The CEGB was an unmitigated disaster and the legacy of that appalling culture of mismanagement still hurts the industry today. Lower barriers to entry are what we need, not more state intervention.

Montague Withnail, London,

It's the same as the supermarkets, kill off the corner shops then charge what you like,if you work it out there is no real competition. With such a weak goverment they know they can do just what they like.
How is it that the people who are asigned to keep an eye on caruption for us never do.

cliff williamson, spilsby, lincolnshire

Ofgem needs teeth. Price rises should made at regular, infrequent intervals - not just when the oil price is about to collapse. Prices should not be linked to oil. There should be much more scrutiny and justification for price rises. And Ofgem should also have the power to cap rises.

Tim Probert, Rusthall, Kent, UK

Just the sort of comment I'd expect from a man who's never had a proper job. I'd rather trust the experts to run our energy business than the government. They used to run it, and if I remember, very badly!

Mark, Gloucester, UK

If an industry produces power which it then sell back to itself at a massive profit then puts up it's retail price to cover the price it bought from itself then you are going to get massive over pricing. This government is just a bit too thick to see the obvious, time for a change I think.

D Case, Newquay,

They tried state control in the 1940s and it was an absolute flopperooni. What they need to do is enforce competiton and break up the generator/distributor cartel.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

The higher price for initial units is an alternative to a standing charge and reflects the costs of providing the network, metering etc which have to be recovered irrespective of consumption. It has nothing to do with penalising thrift or energy costs.

Stepan, Glasgow,

Yet more Statism, control freakery and micromanagement of everything, paving the way for when the EU has total control of Energy policy. Carbon Credits are an indirect taxation that allows "traders" to make a fortune out of a synthetic piece of rent-seeking.

Roger Thornhill, London, UK

Prices are unlikely to fall until March, meaning people will have to continue paying high prices to keep their homes warm during winter.

Inenco, the UK’s largest energy analyst, said when reductions come, customers could see around a 15% reduction in electricity prices and 20-25% in gas prices.

Ian Parrett, Lytham St Annes, UK

ZANU-Labour isn't too far wide of the mark. The privatisations of the 80s were due to government not having the money and civil servants the ability to manage utilities. Labour reduced competition between suppliers by letting generators buy suppliers. Sounds just like Mugabe's 'land reform' logic.

Eddie Reader, birmingham, england

David Martin, that's because the first units are the most expensive to provide. Those who use less still pay less overall than those who use more. Do you really think consumers deliberately use more energy so as to get through the expensive units in order to make hay with the cheap ones?

Mega Watt, London,

The energy companies are not responding to the needs of our society.They will not cut prices unless forced to do so.Government should take control of these companies by bringing in legislation.As a tax payer I would like the Govt to take control of profit making energy companies not just Banks.

Prakash Nayak, Derby, Derbyshire

Just, "Nationalise the "B's"", like "South America! Mind you, "Price's would "Probably Rise" due to "Civil Servant's"! Not really "Cynical", but they "Couldn't "Manage a Brewery"!"

paul, Manchester, uk

A start would be to make charges for initial units free or cheap, and charge more highly for additional units.
At the moment the highest charge is for the first units, penalising thrift and conservation.
Contributions to insulation by the poor amount to hundreds of pounds.
Perverse charging indeed!

David Martin, Bristol, UK