MEMO to ‘Call Me Dave’, Chris Huhne and the cartel of energy suppliers concerning the long-overdue simplification of our energy bills: start with a single standard unit price and offer varying levels of discount for things such as direct debits, age tariffs and high users etc, and, hey presto, everyone will then be able to understand their bill.

‘Shop around’ seems to be the ever-repeated mantra of our Energy Secretary, but he must surely realise that most of us can make little or no sense of bills in their current format. So earn your corn, Mr Huhne, and force these companies to comply.

We will then be able to switch suppliers by understanding exactly what’s on offer.

Bill Bevan, Eastfield Crescent, York.

THE latest government advice on dealing with higher energy bills such as shopping around, paying by direct debit and taking advantage of free insulation or cavity wall insulation sound very familiar.

I’m pretty sure that’s what they have said every year since energy prices began to increase and it sounds like a lot of hot air.

If only we could exploit this hot air, Britain could overnight become self-sufficient in energy, with our political elite the world’s largest exporter rivalling the energy resources of the Middle East.

Rob Oliver, Clifton, York.