I'm a fan of Channel 4's Dispatches, but last night's show on fuel bills offered little new. We knew there was insufficient competition between the power companies; we knew pre-payment meters were a rip-off; we knew energy efficiency measures could save householders money.
No, the most gripping research was old. In all the debate about energy prices, it's the one I keep returning to - the Local Government Association's brilliant finding that, despite the companies' words about soaring wholesale costs and need for investment in new power stations, they raised shareholder payments by £257m last year, £75 for each and every home. I would chase a mugger down the street if I had that much in my wallet. (Perhaps.)
Far more interesting is Allen Asher's claim on Radio 4 today that stringent regulation would cut average annual bills of £1,200 by between £300 and £400. If that's correct - and as former head of the now defunct Energywatch, Asher should know - the scale of the removal of money from home is truly extraordinary. Less like a mugger - more like a burglar, in fact.
Time to call the police, or, in this case, the Competition Commission.
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