Baffled and bemused

Late last week, a number of national newspapers reported on a study by uSwitch.com, which revealed 86% of consumers struggled to understand their utility bills.

The comparison website warned people were left "potentially out of pocket by jargon-heavy and over-complicated household bills", and families have been over-charged by £6.7bn on household bills over the last year.

The study identified energy suppliers as the worst offenders for baffling bills - and said more than eight in ten people (82%) find energy bills harder to understand than any other household bill.

86% say energy bills are too complicated, 73% say they use too much jargon and 65% cannot find the information they need.

While this is hardly difficult to believe, it is certainly not a new issue. With many providers changing the way they present data what appears to be every other billing period, 86% of consumers being confused seems a fairly conservative figure.