Regional gas pricing warning from Which?

The need for gas customers to look out for and switch to the best deals is becoming ever sharper, with suppliers indicating their willingness to adopt regional pricing policies.

In January, npower began charging different tariffs in different parts of the country, reportedly to reflect the varying costs of transporting gas.

ScottishPower and Scottish and Southern Energy already have similar schemes, and British Gas has refused to rule the idea out.

Siobhan Parker of Switch with Which? warned: “The adoption of regional gas prices by some suppliers further emphasises price variations around the country. npower has announced an average gas increase of 12.8 per cent, but customers living in regions such as London and the East Midlands are being hit with a much bigger price rise of 23.8 per cent.

“People must vote with their feet and seek out the best deal to combat the effects of what is ultimately a postcode lottery.”

This is not to say that some parts of the country are simply more expensive than others – yet.

Figures from Which? show that Yorkshire is the most expensive region, on average, for npower customers, while Wales is the priciest place to live for ScottishPower customers.

Tags: show, customer, place, best deal, adoption, southern energy, Siobhan Parker, different parts