A new study has revealed the South West is the fifth most expensive area in the UK for gas and electricity prices. 

PlumbNation has calculated the average cost of gas and electricity bills in different UK regions by multiplying the average number of units used by the average cost per unit in each location, and then adding the average standing charge. 

In the South West, the average annual energy cost per household is £2,008, the fifth highest in the UK. 

Electricity costs in the area are the fourth highest, at £1,026, and gas prices were the sixth highest, at £982. 

The study also looked at the water bills in different UK regions, with the South West coming in at the eighth highest at £216.

However, South West Water had the second lowest annual increase in prices of any water provider, with prices going up by just 0.47 per cent, being beaten only by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. 

PlumbNation explained: “These days, owning your own home is a much more daunting financial prospect, and rapidly increasing bills means keeping the house warm and the lights on is more expensive than it has ever been before.

“We wanted to reveal which parts of the country have seen the biggest changes in regional prices across housing and household bills.”