Thursday newspaper round-up: Energy prices, national wage, Thames Water

Millions of households are being urged to submit meter readings to their energy supplier this weekend to ensure they do not overpay when cheaper prices come in on Monday. The consumer champion Martin Lewis is among those urging people to get their phones, pens and notepads out so that they benefit fully from the 12.3% cut to the Ofgem energy price cap, which is altered quarterly. – Guardian

The world’s fossil-fuel producers are on track to nearly quadruple the amount of extracted oil and gas from newly approved projects by the end of this decade, with the US leading the way in a surge of activity that threatens to blow apart agreed climate goals, a new report has found. There can be no new oil and gas infrastructure if the planet is to avoid careering past 1.5C (2.7F) of global heating, above pre-industrial times, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has previously stated. Breaching this warming threshold, agreed to by governments in the Paris climate agreement, will see ever worsening effects such as heatwaves, floods, drought and more, scientists have warned. – Guardian

Pensioners will be just £20 better off in real terms this year after their triple lock increase was all but wiped out by Jeremy Hunt’s stealth tax raid, a leading think tank has said. An 8.5pc rise in the state pension will leave retirees £190 better off in the next tax year after adjusting for higher prices, the Resolution Foundation said. – Telegraph

The national living wage should be paid to all over-18s instead of starting at 21, the independent body behind the policy has said, in a move that would cost businesses tens of millions of pounds. According to the Low Pay Commission (LPC), at almost £3 an hour, the gap between the amount paid to 18-20-year-olds and older adults has widened to an unfair level. – Telegraph

The directors of Thames Water were locked in crisis talks on Wednesday night ahead of an investors’ meeting to discuss plans to inject funds into the company to secure its survival. The board of Britain’s biggest water company were debating its financial future after months of talks involving debt and equity investors, lenders, regulators and government officials, according to Sky News. An announcement is expected as early as Thursday. – The Times