You’d have to have been living on Mars not to have heard about the energy price hikes announced recently. British Gas, Npower and SSE (that’s Southern Electric, Swalec and Scottish Hydro) will all be charging between eight to 10 per cent more, starting from next month.

And it’s a pretty safe bet that other suppliers will follow.

Tellingly, in a live radio interview earlier this week, a spokesman for Scottish Power refused to rule out price rises.

It’s infuriating for us hard-pressed consumers, especially when we know most of these firms are making huge profits.

They claim that’s just a drop in the ocean, compared to the amount they invest in maintaining the infrastructure.

But whatever their excuses, the reality is it could push electricity and gas costs to more than £1,500 a year for some families.

Gillian Guy of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau said this week: “Families are crying out for energy firms to give households a break and stop this price-hike bidding war.

“Every year we see prices pushed up even further and it is households that inevitably lose out.

“This is another blow in a very difficult period for people who are already battling to keep afloat, and manage sky-high transport and food costs.

“Consumers will now be paying over the odds just to keep their homes warm over the next few months.

“Every year we see energy companies raising prices one after another but now is the time for energy firms to show an understanding of the day-to-day lives of their customers and put a freeze on further price rises this winter.”

I wish I could say I think they will heed her words but it’s probably more realistic to focus on what you can do to hit back.

And that means voting with your purse and moving your business to another supplier.

Some are offering lock-in deals, which guarantee a fixed tariff for up to four years.

Before you do anything, though, check there’s no exit penalty. It may still be cheaper to jump ship but make sure you do the maths first.

Then, it’s a case of shopping around and comparing different companies and rates until you find the one offering the best deal.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard to make a direct comparison, since you will come across suppliers comparing apples with pears.

For example, you might see the phrase ‘what you would have paid’, which confuses the issue and it’s extremely time consuming trying to work out the tariff rate, length of deal and whether there is any cash back or other sweetener on offer.

One of my favourite places to compare like-for-like is www.moneysavingexpert.com where you can sign up to its Cheap Energy Club.

It keeps you up to date with every little fluctuation in price and steers you through the minefield of what’s on offer and how it rates against what you’ve got so you can make a good decision.

So, remember, don’t get mad, get moving.