A pensioner says trying to keep warm and afford heating this winter will be "horrific" amid rising energy costs. Pat Snell, from Redditch, Worcestershire, said she and her husband, John, who had a stroke, relied 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 raised concerns about further rises as millions of households in England, Scotland and Wales face higher energy bills from Thursday, when Ofgem's latest energy price cap increase comes into force. The regulator said typical households on standard variable tariffs will pay about £60 more a year, taking annual bills to £1,723. The extra cost comes at a time when, Snell said, her household was already carefully managing 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 comes to an end in late October, meaning they could soon face higher costs. The government said households would see some relief through its removal of VAT on domestic electricity bills, which it said had helped limit the increase, while the Warm Home Discount will provide eligible households with £150 off their bills this winter.
Snell is not the only resident in the town that is concerned about struggling to afford heating and other essentials this winter. Another pensioner, Lorraine Stevenson, said she was already limiting energy use where 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.
"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 others worried about the rise is Najibullah Rahimi, who came to the UK from Afghanistan with his family about a year ago.
He told the BBC he is currently seeking work and is expecting his benefits to be capped, leaving him concerned about how his family will manage as household costs continue to rise. "The gas bill and electricity bill and internet bills and money for the children are difficult now for me," he said. The additional pressure of higher winter energy bills, he said, would make an already difficult situation even more challenging.
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