There is more bad news today on ever-increasing gas and electric costs for domestic consumers in Britain.
Household energy bills are now reported to be heading above £3,000 a year this winter.
The UK Government told the BBC: "We do not recognise these figures, but Government and Ofgem keep a close watch on energy prices."
National Energy Action said there are "few signs of energy prices becoming affordable this winter".
The bleak prediction comes as households are already struggling with rising food and fuel prices.
Every UK home is to get an energy bill discount of £400 this October, but this is just a fraction of what consumers are paying out.
The £3,000 household bill figure, seen by the BBC, is £200 higher than predicted by energy watchdog Ofgem in May.
Bills had already risen by £700 on average in April, with a further squeeze on incomes from the rising cost of living, as inflation hit 9.1% - the highest in 40 years.
Energy price cap
While the official figure for the energy price cap is due to be announced next month by Ofgem, the period over which it is assessed is now almost complete.
In recent weeks, the price paid for gas to be delivered this winter has increased even more sharply.
This has been driven by volumes of Russian gas exports going down, the closure of a key gas export facility in the US, and a weaker pound.
The figures seen by the BBC have been calculated using the same methodology announced by Ofgem.
It means that, on average, dual fuel users paying by direct debit face a bill of £3,018 per year.
A household using the same amount of energy but paying by prepayment meter would be charged £3,048 per year.
And for those paying the entire bill on receipt, the bill for average energy use would be £3,147.