Dear Listener

2008 is beginning with a big rise in the cost of keeping warm – just as temperatures seem on the way down. One company, npower, which has four million customers, has put up prices from Saturday by an average of 16%. And a new regional price structure will see some facing rises of more than 25%. We ask what you can do to control your fuel costs. And what if you face real hardship paying to keep warm?

Should pension schemes be allowed to stop putting up pensions in line with inflation if they get into financial difficulties? That’s what the Association of Consulting Actuaries wants - and the National Association of Pension Funds agrees. They say the alternative is more schemes closing down.

January is a time when all that Christmas spending comes home to roost as debt. The Financial Services Authority is spending £21 million this year helping us all to manage our money better. But what is it spending it on? And what if your debts get out of hand?

And we talk to the credit card provider which is offering free alerts to help you spot if your identity has been stolen.

If Santa brought you a smart new MP3 player for Christmas, why not sign up for our podcast? It’s free and you can arrange for it to be delivered by email every week so you can listen to Money Box when and where it suits you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/moneybox/

Best wishes

Paul Lewis

PS Don’t forget the live preview of Money Box on BBC1 Breakfast between 8.45 and 9 on Saturday morning.

e-mail Paul Lewis