Hard-pressed households will have to fork out extra cash to heat and power their homes this year. According to Statistics Netherlands, the average resident in the Netherlands spent 13 euros more on gas and electricity in January 2012, than they did on the same month in 2011.

The rise in energy bills has increased three times faster than the average price of other goods and service, and consumers pay 120 percent more than they did 15 years ago. It is not good news for the economy, especially as it was recently confirmed that the Netherlands is officially in recession.

Increased transport costs, energy taxes and delivery rates have all contributed to the hefty bill rates. Energy consumption has also been high recently; this past winter was a severe one, with many fatalities reported in Russia, Poland and Ukraine as a winter freeze swept west through Europe.

Thankfully though, the winter months have passed, so fuel bills should ease for the majority of consumers as spring (and hopefully sunshine!) thaws the Netherlands.