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Energy bosses are to be summoned to Parliament to be grilled over soaring profits as millions of people struggle to heat their homes this winter.

As the bitter cold extended into March, Labour accused the energy giants of “cashing in” after their profits jumped by up to 25 per cent.

MPs are also demanding that the companies be more open about their financial dealings to prove they are not ripping off customers.

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint told the Standard: “It is a scandal that the energy giants can get away with blaming their price hikes on increased costs when they’re cashing in on the back of spiralling bills for hard-pressed consumers.

“With wholesale costs less than they were five years ago and energy companies making bumper profits, the big energy companies should be looking to cut prices as soon as possible.”

The Commons energy and climate change committee is to summon energy bosses to quiz them about their prices, profits and fuel poverty suffered by millions of families.

Committee chairman, Conservative MP Tim Yeo, wants the companies to provide more information amid “suspicions” that they are quick to increase prices but slow to lower them.

“They have lost the trust of the public,” he said. “It’s quite a widespread view on the part of consumers that this is a less than perfectly competitive market and companies are taking advantage of that by boosting their margins.”

Pensioner and consumer groups yesterday warned the committee that 25,000 people could die needlessly this year. Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at Age UK, said: “There is real concern that this winter’s freezing temperatures will lead to an increase in the numbers of older people dying prematurely.”

She called for the Government to step up work on making homes more energy efficient.

British Gas reported recently that profits from its residential energy supply arm rose 11 per cent in 2012 to £606 million. Centrica, which owns British Gas, announced an overall adjusted operating profit of £2.7 billion for 2012, up 14 per cent from 2011.

Profits at Npower from its UK customers and power stations rose by 25 per cent to £390 million in 2012. In November it increased gas tariffs by 8.8 per cent and electricity by 9.1 per cent.

Scottish Power said its retail and wholesale profits were up four per cent to £292 million. France-based EDF saw its overall UK profits rise 7.5 per cent to £1.7 billion in 2012.

Angela Knight CBE, chief executive of Energy UK, said: “The industry is investing huge sums in the new, low carbon generation required to keep the lights on. To do this and to create thousands of new jobs it needs to make a profit.”