POWER BILLS SET TO SOAR!

The rising cost of living, soaring petrol prices and paying more at the supermarket checkout has already put a strain on household budgets across the country.

- Brigid Auchettl

Now, there's more bad news in store for cost-conscious households, with electricity bills expected to skyrocket over winter.

In Victoria, residents are facing a 30 per cent increase, according to a draft decision by key regulators. will be keenly felt from the beginning of July.

Due to the Default Market Offer (DMO), which is The impact set by regulators, just how much your bills will increase depends on where you live, and which energy provider you are with.

Customers will typically go on a company's default plan unless they actively choose a different plan.

Australian Energy Regulator (AER) chairperson Clare Savage told the ABC, households should shop around providers for the best deal.

"[Default offers] tend to be the highest priced offers in the market," Ms Savage explained.

"They tend to be paid by customers that have perhaps never shopped around or might have moved into a house and just used the default offer when they've moved in."

While Victorians will see the highest spike in energy bills, other states look set to follow the trend.