ENERGY supplier SSE is reducing household gas prices by 4.1 per cent on April 30 before extending its energy price freeze until at least July 2016.

The move is the latest cut by one of the UK's Big Six energy firms, although SSE's reduction will take effect much later than the company's rivals.

British Gas due to cut its gas tariffs by five per cent from February 27.

In March, SSE pledged to freeze prices until January 2016 after putting up gas and electricity bills by 8.2 per cent in the previous autumn.

The UK's second biggest supplier said it has extended this guarantee, meaning its gas and electricity prices will not go up before July 2016 at the earliest.

The company, which has 8.7 million electricity and gas accounts, said the cut will save a typical household customer £28 a year.

The planned reduction follows a sharp drop in wholesale energy costs, although SSE points out this factor now makes up less than half of the average household energy bill.

NPower, part of German utility company RWE, last week said its average tariff will come down by 5.1 per cent from February 16, making it the largest percentage price cut in the wave of announcements from the sector.

As well as British Gas, Scottish Power is cutting prices by 4.8 per cent from February 20 and Eon has taken 3.5 per cent from bills with immediate effect.

EDF is the only firm among the Big Six still to announce a price cut.