TENANTS are paying more than homeowners for gas and electricity because they are at the mercy of landlords who have little incentive to switch them to the best deals.

People who rent spend as much as 13 per cent of their weekly disposable income on gas and electricity, whereas those with mortgages typically pay out just five per cent, according to research by the comparison firm Moneyexpert.com.

Sean Gardner, director of MoneyExpert.com says: "Theoretically suppliers do not differentiate between renters and homeowners so it must come down to the fact that tenants just don't think about changing supplier because that responsibility lies with their landlord.

“But if you're paying more than you should you have every right to ask your landlord to look at switching - it needn't take long and if you can save money it's well worth it.”

With experts predicting household energy bills could increase by as much as 40 per cent this winter because of rising wholesale gas and electricity costs, consumers may have to fork out as much as £400 more a year for their energy. Last year the average cost of a combined gas and electricity bill was £924.

The problem for tenants is exacerbated by increases in rents and other household bills.

Gardner adds: “Monthly bills for a rented home are up by over 10 per cent across the country so renters are feeling the pinch. Paying more for your energy than you need to is not the way to relieve the pressure.”

Over three million households switch energy supplier every six months. Experts believe that you could save as much as £365 a year by switching gas and electricity supplier.

The cheapest energy deals are usually online and paid for using direct debits. The cheapest rate overall is offered by British Gas with it’s Click Energy 5 tariff which costs, on average, about £866 a year for dual fuel.

If you’re worried about increased bills, you could pay a premium for a fixed tariff. A good one is Scottish & Southern’s Fixed Discount tariff which promises to be 2 per cent cheaper than the supplier’s standard rate until July 2010. However, there is a £100 penalty if you terminate the tariff before the end of the fixed period. You should also bear in mind that only the unit price for the energy is fixed, so if your usage goes up, you’ll still see your bills increase.