Consumers will not pay the price for the new fuel efficiency measures in higher bills – for the time being at least, energy suppliers said on Thursday. But they warned that the cost could eventually be passed on.

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has published figures from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs showing that the full cost of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, the programme expanded in Thursday’s package, was passed on to consumers. This year, it said that would amount to £38 ($67) on the average bill.