'We're still cold paying £300 a month energy bills'

'We're still cold paying £300 a month energy bills'

A pensioner has said that trying to stay warm and pay for heating this winter will be "horrific" as energy costs continue to rise.

Pat Snell, from Redditch, Worcestershire, said she and her husband, John, who had a stroke, depended heavily on heating to keep him comfortable last winter.

"Even on a fixed-price tariff, our energy bills were £300 a month, and we were still cold," she said.

Snell voiced concern about further increases as millions of households in England, Scotland and Wales face higher energy bills from Thursday, when Ofgem's latest energy price cap rise takes effect. The regulator said typical households on standard variable tariffs will pay about £60 more a year, lifting annual bills to £1,723.

The added expense comes at a time when, Snell said, her household was already carefully controlling energy use.

"We never even put the temperature up over 18C, and most of the rooms were closed.

"I don't even want to think about what it's going to cost in December, January and February."

Snell added that her fixed-rate tariff ends in late October, meaning they could soon be facing higher costs.

The government said households would get some relief from its removal of VAT on domestic electricity bills, which it said had helped restrain the increase, while the Warm Home Discount will give eligible households £150 off their bills this winter.

Snell is not the only person in the town worried about how to afford heating and other essentials this winter.

Another pensioner, Lorraine Stevenson, said she was already cutting energy use wherever possible.

"I live on my own, and I live in a small house, so I struggle because obviously, just on a pension, it's not easy," she said. "Any reduction helps.

"I look forward to getting the winter fuel payment. People say it doesn't really help, but it does help through the winter months because obviously you're paying a lot more."

She added: "You don't keep the house really warm, but you can't be cold, can you? Especially as the older you get."

Among those also worried about the increase is Najibullah Rahimi, who came to the UK from Afghanistan with his family about a year ago.

He told the BBC he is currently looking for work and expects his benefits to be capped, leaving him concerned about how his family will cope as household costs keep rising.

"The gas bill and electricity bill and internet bills and money for the children are difficult now for me," he said.

He said the extra strain of higher winter energy bills would make an already difficult situation even harder.

Kelly Birkett, an accountant from Redditch, works from home. She is a mother of two and her husband is self-employed.

Although both of them earn, energy costs are still putting pressure on the household income, and they are scaling back family experiences.

"It's heartbreaking how much money you don't have to actually live your life - not just survive, but to live it and have those memories with your family and your friends and your children.

"As a family we work really hard and we wonder why? I don't think the politicians 'get it' and because they don't get it, they think they're doing enough but they're not."

The increase affects about 22 million households on default tariffs regulated by Ofgem, while around 11 million households on fixed-rate deals will not see their prices change immediately.

A typical household on a standard variable tariff will see annual bills rise by about £60 to £1,723, though the amount paid will ultimately depend on how much energy is used.

Ofgem said the rise was driven mainly by higher wholesale gas prices linked to conflict in the Middle East. The regulator said prices are still around 52% lower than at the peak of the energy crisis in 2022, although charities and consumer groups have warned that many households are still struggling with costs that remain well above pre-crisis levels.

The government said removing VAT on domestic electricity bills had helped limit the increase, with Ofgem estimating bills would otherwise have been about £45 higher. Eligible households can also get a £150 Warm Home Discount this winter.

For many of those the BBC spoke to in Redditch, the worry was not just about a £5-a-month rise, but about what it means when colder weather arrives and household budgets are already stretched.

"We'll just have to cut down on something else," said Stevenson.

"But you can't be cold."

Caroline Fortune, from energy advice charity Act on Energy, said many households had not yet experienced the full impact of recent energy price rises because energy use usually drops during the summer months.

"The price cap went up in July, and because we haven't all turned our heating on yet, we've not felt it yet," she said.

"On 1 October it's due to go up again, and it's predicted to go up again in January, so it's something we need to be aware of."

Fortune said consumers should regularly check their tariff and not assume that staying with the same supplier will provide the best value.

She urged households to see whether they qualify for support schemes, including the Warm Home Discount, and to seek advice early if they feared falling behind on payments.

As temperatures drop, she advised people to be careful with energy use and concentrate heating on the rooms they spend the most time in.

"If you're really struggling, heat the person, not the room," she said.

She said demand for help from the charity had increased as households dealt with several financial pressures at once.

"It's not as simple as having one small problem," she said.

"People's lives have got more complicated."