THE average UK household spent £106 a month on electricity, gas and other household fuels in 2012, according to figures published today by ONS.

This was up from £69 a month in 2002, after adjusting for inflation, meaning there was a 55 per cent increase in average household spending on energy between 2002 and 2012.

The figures, contained in a report on household energy spending in the UK, show that the average household spent the equivalent of five per cent of its disposable income on household energy in 2012, up from three per cent in 2002.

The poorest fifth of households spent 11 per cent of their disposable income on household energy in 2012, up from eight per cent in 2002, while the richest fifth spent just three per cent in 2012, up from two per cent in 2002.

In 2012, households using electricity had an average monthly spend of £51, a 43 per cent increase from 2002. Households using gas in 2012 spent an average of £57 a month on this fuel, a 56 per cent rise from 2002.

ONS statistician Richard Tonkin said in recent years, households have been reducing their energy consumption but this has been more than offset by rises in energy prices.