DECC's figures reveal how much energy bills have risen

In the year to 2012, expenditure on gas increased by 16.1%. Meanwhile, spend on electricity increased by 8.4% between 2011 and 2012. Only users of solid fuel saw a drop in their bills, with expenditure falling by 6.6%.

The average 2012 gas bill across all payment types rose by £81, compared to 2011, to £800. The average electricity bill across all payment types rose by £26 compared with 2011, to £479.

The larger increase in gas, compared with other fuels, is likely to reflect the fact that gas is the fuel most commonly used for space heating. DECC concludes that the colder winter seen in 2012 should have a larger effect on gas expenditure than for other fuels.

Total expenditure on energy products increased by 4.8% between 2011 and 2012. This is likely to reflect an increase in the prices of most fuels in this period, and a colder winter in 2012, which led to higher consumption of fuel for heating. As a share of total consumer expenditure on all products, energy spend increased from  6.3% to 6.4% between the two years.