Household energy costs have increased more than five times faster than household income since 2004/05, findings show.
Average household income has risen by 20 per cent since 2004, while the average energy bill has jumped by 140 per cent over the same period, reaching £1,252, according to research from uSwitch.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch, said: "The break-neck speed at which energy prices have sprinted upwards has caught many people unawares. Consumers are still playing catch-up."
Ms Robinson added that energy now represents a "significant slice" of household income, leading to more people opting to ration their energy use in recent years.
However, E.ON delivered good news to consumers last week by announcing that it is freezing its gas and electricity bills this year.
The company's decision comes after it revealed that it made less than two per cent profit from providing gas and electricity to British households in 2011.