JUST 20 companies have made a staggering £483 billion in profits since the start of the energy bill crisis, while thousands live in cold, damp homes, fuel campaigners have warned.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which tracks companies such as Equinor, Shell and British Gas, reported yesterday that the firms raked in £9bn in profits this year and posted another £77bn of interims.

Recent Ofgem price cap changes have also let suppliers take an additional 11 per cent in profits on every standard variable tariff, the coalition said.