Energy prices are on the up, and now is the time to act if you want to protect yourself against a winter of sky-high fuel bills.

Switching energy provider is really easy - you just need to find the option that works out cheapest. Here's what to check:

• How much energy you use (check your last 3 months energy bills or use your annual energy statement to get an idea)

• Whether you'll pay a penalty for switching (and if you'll save enough to make it worth paying)
• If you should opt for a fixed rate tariff or stay variable (read our guide: Should I Fix My Gas and Electricity Prices? for help)

Use our Action Plan: How to cut your utility bills and our gas and electricity comparison tables for help switching.

If you don't want to lock in to a fixed-rate tariff you should bear in mind that only one energy provider, SSE, has officially announced price increases so far, although the others are very likely to follow.

For this reason it may be worth waiting to see who will give you the cheapest variable-rate energy once they've all set new prices.

What else is happening?

£240 a month is all it would take to make your grandchild a millionaire by the time they're 60

That's according to investment firm Skandia. They calculated that when tax relief and a 6.5% rate of growth are factored into the equation, putting aside £240 a month in a pension for 18 years would be enough to secure your grandchild's financial future. What they didn't say was how grandparents who don't have a 'surplus pension income' should find a spare £240 a month...

People that claim for disability related benefits could face penalties if they don't try to find a job

The Department of Work and Pensions are considering implementing a revised penalty structure that could reduce benefit payments by up to £71 a week and may also 'force' participation in unpaid, unlimited work experience by those deemed fit enough to work.

Jaguar comes top for customer satisfaction, with Lexus and Toyota close behind according to WhatCar? magazine

All three car manufacturers fared well in terms of the service they offered both prospective buyers and existing drivers, while both Toyota and Lexus scored high in the reliability stakes too. Mazda, Fiat and Chevrolet came bottom of the list for customer satisfaction.

More than one in seven shops on the average British High Street are now sitting empty

Some high streets even have as many as one in three going unused! Unsurprisingly a 'dramatic drop in consumer spending' coupled with an increase in online spending is to blame for the reduced footfall in High Street shops seen across the UK - London is the only place that bucks the trend.

The Olympics was bad news for retailers as people stayed home to watch the games

Retail sales were 0.4% lower this August compared to the last, although supermarkets did reasonably well thanks to people stocking up on party food and drink.

The EU's AAA credit rating could be dropped if things don't improve

Credit reference agency Moody's has changed its official opinion of the EU's financial standing to negative and warned that if the economies of the strongest EU states - UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands - don't become more stable, they could downgrade the EU's creditworthiness.