By 2020 they are expected to quadruple as Britain attempts to replace outdated infrastructure and bring in green energy policies. Dependence on Eastern European gas also leaves us possible to fluctuating energy markets.

Experts are of the view that once the worldwide recession is over, demand for power will soar in India and China, pushing global prices even higher.

The £5,000 a year bill may seem like an outside possibility but the world is coming into a new era of high- cost energy and households will have to adjust their behavior accordingly.

Energy firms will require millions to modernize their outdated pipes and storage systems and provide households with smart metering technology. There is also pressure for them to invest in ‘green’ energy by cutting emissions and cleaning up coal power stations, adding to the cost.

According to uSwitch.com, costs will increase steadily to £3,584 in 2017 and £5,199 in 2019.  Bills are then expected to level off before falling minimally.

The warning comes as Britons become more dependent on energy. An ageing population and the growing number of electrical gadgets in each home mean more power is used now than ever before. Campaigners insisted last night that families should not be forced to fund the rising investment costs of energy firms.

Britain already has the highest energy price rises in Western Europe. Figures released earlier this year showed that fuel costs remained high despite the fact that countries such as France and Germany had seen falls.

Meanwhile, global energy demand is expected to soar 44 percent over the next two decades with most of the demand coming from developing countries such as China and Russia, the U.S. government’s top energy forecasting agency said recently.

The worldwide economic downturn has hit energy consumption, but an expected recovery next year could respark demand and boost prices, the Energy Information Administration said in its new forecast.

U.S. oil prices are forecast to rise from an average $61 barrel this year to $110 in 2015 and $130 in 2030.

Oil prices “begin to rise in 2010-2011 period as the economy rebounds and global demand once again grows more rapidly than non-OPEC liquid supply.”

Global oil demand is expected to rise to 107 million barrels per day over the next two decades from nearly 84 million bpd this year. Oil will account for 32 percent of the world’s energy supply by 2030 from about 36 percent in 2006.

Almost 75 percent of the rise in global energy demand through 2030 will occur in developing countries, particularly China, India, Russia and Brazil.