Consumers have faced a spate of utility price rises recently

EDF Energy - which serves more than five million customers under the three brands - is to raise its electricity prices by 10.7% and gas by 12%.

Higher wholesale costs and new charges related to new emissions trading scheme forced the change, EDF said, adding the new tariffs will begin on 5 August.

The news comes a week after utility giant Powergen raised its prices.

Costs squeeze

Powergen also blamed rising wholesale costs for raising its tariffs by 11.9% for electricity and 7.2% for gas.

An EDF spokesman said wholesale gas prices for the coming winter were up 50% on January's prices, while electricity prices had experienced a similar rise.

"We are absorbing a lot of these costs, but there is only so much we can absorb before we have to pass some of these costs on," he said.

The latest hikes mean that EDF electricity charges are now 29.2% higher than in March last year, while gas tariffs have risen 31.1%.

However, the firm said the new charges would not affect 135,000 customers who recently capped their prices until March 2007.

They will also not hit 75,000 customers who are "most in need" and protected until after the winter.