THE average domestic gas bill has risen by more than a third over
the past year, a report out today says. Soaring fuel costs have prompted an industry-wide downturn in
customer satisfaction levels, according to a survey by JD Power & Associates. The average annual domestic gas bill has increased by 33.6% since
last year, to hit £510.60. For electricity, a 13.7% rise over the same period has pushed the average bill up to £453.24. The survey ranked EDF Energy as the gas and electricity supplier
with the lowest customer satisfaction scores. Rivals Npower and Scottish and Southern Energy were named the best electricity and gas suppliers respectively. The survey showed that customers were generally aware of energy
price hikes, but often didn't understand what that meant for their own bills. The 2006 UK electricity and gas customer study was based on 2,605
interviews with domestic electricity users and 2,008 interviews with domestic gas customers.
