HARD-PRESSED consumers could have to stump up £473 for heating bills over the winter says energyhelpline.com The independent price comparison website has factored in a five per cent price rise, and a ten per cent rise in usage based on predictions of bad weather.

Energyhelpline.com says average bills for gas and electricity could hit £347 and £126 respectively – a £53 rise on the average energy bill.

● INVESTORS are moving strongly into commodity company shares as petrol prices soar, says broker TD Waterhouse.

Director Darren Hepworth says overall trading volumes of the top ten stocks surged by 46 per cent.

● RESEARCH indicates that about 11.3 million Britons withdrew the equivalent of £3.87bn in foreign currency while abroad over the past year, says Sainsbury’s Travel Money, which offers Cash Passport prepaid currency cards with no ATM fee.

Many travellers do not realise most prepaid currency cards also levy individual transaction fees.

● THE new Windows Phone 7 operating system, available to consumers on five handsets, is getting a guarded welcome from uSwitchcom Communications expert Ernest Doku says: “Microsoft has revamped its original operating system with one that is vastly more intuitive, gorgeous in its simplicity.”