‘WORRYING’ figures which revealed Barnsley households were paying 40 per cent more to heat properties are set to be put right - after ministers rubber-stamped plans for improved industry regulations.

The government announced plans to overhaul the energy regulator, Ofgem, to ensure customers are treated fairly and good practice is guaranteed in the market.

This includes new powers for Ofgem to ban energy company bosses’ bonuses if they break the rules, stronger powers to enforce customer law directly to avoid lengthy court processes and new measures to act in regulated sectors such as heating oil.

To protect household bills from future energy shocks, the government also announced they are breaking the link between the cost of expensive gas and cheap renewables like solar, wind and nuclear.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero data shows the average household in Barnsley used 2,274 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 9,570 kWh of gas to fuel their homes in 2022.

One kWh would run an average oven for around 30 minutes, while the median has been used to exclude extreme values which could skew the average.

Based on recent energy price cap costs, a Barnsley household will spend around £1,492 per year on energy - 42 per cent higher than what a household would expect to pay based on the energy price cap in October 2021 before the cost-of-living crisis set in.

Marie Tidball, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, welcomed the reforms which will offer better protection to customers.

She told the Chronicle: “With the UK facing the second fossil fuel price spike in less than five years, I know the impact this is having on the cost of living for our communities.

“At the same time, I listen to residents tell me too often about how they have been let down by their energy supplier and a broken system.

“The new powers for Ofgem will finally clamp down on bad practice, put customers first and tackle the cost of living.

“Working towards a long-term solution through our homegrown clean energy is also crucial for our economic security, energy security and national security.

“This month, the government have brought energy bills down and will continue to work towards tackling the cost of living, and stand by families as the impacts of instability in the Middle East become clear.”

Previous price cap rises were due to the ‘failed energy policy’ the government inherited, which Energy Secretary Ed Miliband claimed had left the country ‘at the mercy of international gas markets controlled by dictators’.

Tim Jarvis, interim chief executive of Ofgem, added: “Great Britain’s energy system is going through the biggest changes in our lifetimes and the regulator needs to be able to keep pace with that change.

“This review sets out ambitious, necessary reforms that will enable Ofgem to meet the challenges of regulating an increasingly electrified and flexible energy system and protect consumers so they can engage confidently in markets offering new products and services.

|We have delivered significant reforms in recent years, but this review enables us to make changes at a more systemic level to ensure we are delivering an energy system that works for consumers, that is attractive to investors and provides a stable, reliable environment for participants in the industry.

|With the tools, remit and clarity to deliver this, we look forward to working with the government, consumer representatives and the energy sector to drive the change that’s needed - both in Ofgem and across the energy sector.”