Householders could see their fuel bills rise by a half this year as energy suppliers push price increases through. In a worst-case scenario the average consumer could see their fuel bills soar by an unprecedented 46% or £415, according to uSwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.

Suppliers have already increased prices by 15% or £136 on average this year because of the high price of oil and forward wholesale prices, but  uSwitch says that a third round of price increases is now extremely likely, with expectations of a 10% or £105 increase by late summer and a further 15% or £173 increase early next year.

Energy supplier Centrica said in its interim management statement today that the year-to-date has been: "...dominated by high wholesale gas and power prices in the UK driven by record oil prices, rising demand in Asia for the available liquefied natural gas and a lack of imports from continental Europe."

If energy bills do increase by 46% in 2008, it will be a new record. The previous record was in 2006 when household energy bills shot up by 38%.

Tim Wolfenden, head of home services at uSwitch,  says: "If Centrica - the parent of British Gas, Britain's biggest supplier - is feeling such acute pressure over pricing then it's safe to say that others are feeling it too. Suppliers have been holding firm, but the cracks are beginning to show. It's pretty clear that something has to give and that household energy prices are going to be shooting up again this year.

"Suppliers usually give consumers breathing space by introducing a couple of smaller price increases rather than hitting households in one fell swoop. The pressure they are under shouldn't be enough to change this pattern, but it could be enough to force their hand sooner. If it does, bills could hit £1,327 this year rather than next. For consumers this would mean an unprecedented 46% increase in household energy bills in 2008.

"Given this scenario fixed-rate energy plans are starting to look like a potential lifeline for worried consumers. Take-up has traditionally been low - there are only around 5.7 million energy customers on fixed price plans. Fixed plans are currently 2% or £19 more expensive on average than standard plans and 10% or £96 more expensive than online plans.

However, their biggest strength is the security they offer at a time of rising prices, especially for those struggling with household bills or on a tight budget - for this reason alone a lot of people will be warming to them this year."

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