There is also a fear that it is the young and more savvy who will get involved, leaving the elderly and those who can ill afford higher bills paying steeper tariffs.

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"The easiest ways to get energy bills down quickly are to get people paying the lowest possible tariffs and to reduce the amount of energy that is wasted, " the statement added.

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In the aftermath of the crisis, Argentina froze tariffs for public services, while paying subsidies to operators.

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