We talked to six people about their experiences and what the spiral heating cost would mean to them.
“If it weren’t for my mom, I would have to go to the food banks”
Lee Craven. In Hull, Lee Craven, a 48-year-old mentor at a mental health charity, runs out of money at least a week before his monthly salary is paid. “I work often [overtime] “to make ends meet,” he said. His electricity bill has doubled since last season, before the price increase takes effect on Friday. “I think it will be very bad,” he says. “You get to the point of being afraid that the place is going through the door.” For the last week of each month, Craven has run out of cash and needs to ask his parents for help. “I have nothing – literally no money,” he said. “I know where my money is going, they just go to the accounts. I am not entitled to universal credit, so I have to limit things like food. It’s really hard. “If it weren’t for my mom, I would have had to go to the food banks.” Last month, he disconnected his broadband connection and now uses his cell phone as a hotspot. “It’s a luxury I just can not afford,” he said, adding that subscriptions to music streaming platforms should also be discontinued. Craven used to shop at Sainsbury’s before moving to cheaper supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi a few months ago due to rising food and commodity costs. “I liked Sainsbury’s for the quality,” he said. “I always budgeted my food quite well and spent about £ 25 a week – now it’s about £ 35.”
“I could reduce my expenses by eating less”
In Northampton, Will, who is retired, has seen about a 50% increase in electricity use since its owner recently relocated a supplier after the previous one went bankrupt. “It used to cost about £ 5 a week, but now it has risen to around £ 10 depending on how cold it is,” said the 72-year-old. Will, who has been living in a shared accommodation for three years, uses a prepayment counter to “pop coins” when needed. “I probably use more electricity in the household. “I had a big heart operation last June and the cold really affects me and because I’m not well, I’m almost home all day.” His monthly income is around 1.3 1,300, which includes his state pension and the financial assistance he receives for housing and municipal taxes. He thinks he would be entitled to a warm discount for the house, but because his landlord receives the electricity bill, he does not think he can apply for it. “It was difficult. I find it difficult to walk, so at least I managed to reduce my expenses by not going out, but I eat less. If the price of electricity goes up again, it will become very worrying. We just have to wait and see. “
“I told them, if they try to get the payment, I will cancel my standing order”
John Ellis has seen a series of increases in its monthly payments to E.ON for gas and electricity. Photo: True Images / Alamy John Ellis, 31, of Suffolk, is furious that his monthly payment for gas and electricity will jump to 5 255.76 by the beginning of April. He said he received correspondence from E.ON in December saying it would rise to 18 186 from January, and agreed to pay £ 95 instead. However, in February he was told it would rise again. “I’m in a rubbish situation,” said Ellis, who works as an account manager and lives with a roommate in a two-bedroom house. “I have about £ 600 in my energy bill that I did not know about and because E.ON never increased my direct debit, I accumulated debts over time. “I’m in a bit of a lucky position as my energy bills cost slightly less than 20% of my monthly income right now, but if it increased in April it would be unacceptable.” It has been at E.ON with a variable interest rate for a few years and was recently transferred in February to its sister brand E.ON Next, which claims to provide 100% renewable energy. “It’s a little annoying,” he added. “We are still discussing the April payment, but I have told them that if they try to get it, I will cancel my standing order. “There is no way I can pay that much money – it’s just wrong.”
“I could not pay for prescriptions”
Until she found a new job in further education a few weeks ago, Marie *, a 54-year-old from Liverpool, lived extremely modestly. The rising cost of living means that at times he was unable to pay for prescriptions. “I get the lowest PIP rate [personal independence payment benefit], which I have to use for a taxi to work as arthritis stops me from walking the distance to the bus stop without pain. “I need inhalers and co-codamol for the pain and some months I can not immediately pay for prescriptions,” he said. Marie says she needs inhalers and prescriptions are sometimes not affordable. Photo: Andrew Milligan / PA Although she always worked in “low-paying jobs” and was good on a food budget, Marie became concerned when she noticed that prices were rising, even in supermarkets “like Lidl and Aldi”. “It simply came to our notice then. “You go to the supermarket and you bear the cost in your head,” he said, explaining that he is often forced to put items back in the cash register. “You would just make sure you have toilet paper, milk and bread.” The only clothes he buys are socks and tights. “I wear shoes until they break.” She said the rising cost of living has pushed people in her area to the brink. “I live in a poor area and people look like the fight is over. It was pretty bad before, but people look a lot wiser now. I grew up under Thatcher – we thought it was bad then, but things are much worse now. “We did not have food banks in the 1980s – now they are needed.”
“There is no room for creases at this time”
Starting next month, Christine Nebbett, a 46-year-old from Norfolk, will see her electricity bill skyrocket from about £ 95 to £ 195 a month. The amount you pay for broadband will also increase. “I received an email saying my contract had expired and it would go from £ 23 40 to £ 40,” he said, explaining that he chose the provider “because it was too low for broadband – my son also needs it because he is in college.” ». “I do not know what to do on the Internet,” she said, wondering if it was “possible” to quit. “This means that I have to apply for a job only by phone and my son, when he returns from university, still has to study. “There is no more room for creases.” Nebbett said she was considering getting her car, which cost her 500 500 about four years ago, off-road. “Tolls, fuel and oil are more expensive because it is an old car,” he said, “but that would be difficult as he lives in a rural location with poor transport links.” Although he avoids driving as far as possible, he said: “There is always something extra and unpredictable.” Recently he had to use fuel to drive to do a PCR test. The unexpected trip meant that later he could not afford to go to the supermarket.
“I can not get the city tax deduction even though I live in a house worth less than .000 300,000”
Mary Stront. “I’m going to get very cold,” said Mary Strode, 70, of Powys, Wales. The retired development officer abroad said she was not eligible for any state aid because her house was in the municipal tax zone E. She uses central oil heating and does not pay for her electricity through a flat fee. “I can not get the city tax deduction even though I live in a house worth less than 300 300,000 with two bedrooms and a box room,” he said. “Apart from the holidays, most people in our village are mediocre. “The city tax can work well in cities but not outside the south east of England.” Strode, who lives alone, said her income was less than 20 20,000 a year and without a maximum fuel oil price cap would be difficult. “Heating oil is a big cost to me,” he said. “I pay about 80 £ a month, but I have limited a lot. When I last filled it in January it was 72.5pa liter but now it is around 99p plus VAT. I still have half a tank, so I hope it can hold as I can not refill it. “ She pays for her electricity as well as when she uses it because she likes “the feeling that she has things under control” instead of paying a flat fee. “It helps me try to save money,” he added. “Another thing I think I will do is leave a room for the Hay-on-Wye festival – anything that can help pay the bills.”
- Some names have changed.
