A year ago the average household energy bills were £1,100 per annum.
It’s been announced this morning (Friday) that from October 2022 they will rise to £3,500 per annum. That works out at roughly £300 per month if spread equally across 12 months.
It’s hard to see how those on low, and even middle incomes, will be able to afford the price rises, especially with talk of the price cap rising once again in January to almost £5,000 per annum (£400+ per month) and £6,600+ in April 2023 (£550+ per month).
Support event
On 13th October 2022, local charity The Footprint Trust will be holding a free information event at the Riverside Centre, Newport Quay (PO30 2QR) from 9.30am to 1pm.
Several agencies are getting together to offer help and guidance on; benefits, debt, energy and water efficiency and generally saving of money.
See the Footprint Trust Website for more information and advice.
Help from British Gas
British Gas have also said they will donate 10 per cent of their profits to help customers cope with the price rises.
The BBC report that they will be offering:
- British Gas customers in fuel poverty and with less than £1,000 in savings are eligible
- A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if it has to spend 10 per cent or more of its income on energy
- Eligible customers can apply for a one-off grant through the British Gas Energy Trust
- Since its creation last year, British Gas said “thousands” of customers received average grants of over £550
- Over a third of the recipients were on disability benefit, 30 per cent were single parents and 25 per cent had children under five
You can find out more about the grants on the British Gas Energy Trust Website.
Seek help early on
The Chief Executive of Ofgem advised this morning that if you are worried about the news of the rise in the price cap, get in touch with your energy company and make sure you get access to the help and advice that is available.
Source: BBC
Image: kwon junho under CC BY 2.0
