Point number one.
This is a report from the Daily Express, not the first newspaper that comes to mind when you think of deep, incisive, investigative reporting. A newspaper that puts ever stranger stories about the death of Diana on its front page, several times a week. Its the UK equivalent of the US National Enquirer, which still insists that Elvis is alive and well and working in a Walmart in Arkansas. If they had consulted the Met Office, then they would have been unable to link the two elements of "the worse winter for decades" with "price rises for gas and electricity". The Met Office will tell you that there is no accuracy to be found in weather forecasting more than a couple of weeks away, let alone months away.
The report comes from Vantage Weather Services, and if you look on its own website. there is no mention of "the worse winter for decade" ::::
http://www.vantageweatherservices.co.uk/3.html
Point number two.
The privatised gas and electric companies exist to make as much money for their, mostly foreign, shareholders as possible. That is their only purpose. We shouldn't be surprised by this...that is the way that companies like this work. They are not charities. That is the reason shareholders invest in these companies, not to make sure that OAP's don't die of the cold this winter. They will put their prices up as much as they can, and these percentage prices rises are reflected later in the year in increased profits that they will announce. Price rises are the only way that they can make any profits at all. Of course, they will deny any connection between price rises and profit increases, but to quote a certain Mandy Rice Davies, they would, wouldn't they ?
So, yes baz...you are right here...cynical and greedy in the extreme. They are effectively operating a cartel.