Mum feels like she’s on ‘a knife’s edge’ as energy bills set to soar | Personal Finance | Finance

As the cost of living crisis continues, research shows that families who rent cannot afford to turn on the heat at all this winter.

In addition, analysis suggests that the energy price cap will rise by five per cent and be set at £1,931.25 from January to March 2024, up almost £100 on the current level of £1,834.

One mother is worried about what will happen once the decision itself is announced as she is already struggling to keep up with bills.

The energy bill crisis is now predicted to be so severe that a wide range of health, poverty, housing and environmental organizations and academics have written to the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt MP, calling for the introduction of an Emergency Energy Tariff.

For those who will have to cut back on essential goods to pay their energy bills or who cannot afford it, the Emergency Energy Tariff plans would give them enough financial support to see them through the worst of the winter crisis. avoid, according to new research. commissioned by the Warm This Winter campaign to know.

Jessica Ward is mother to Cece and lives with her partner in Congleton, Cheshire. Their energy supplier is Scottish Gas and they pay £326 monthly direct debit.

If the energy price cap is confirmed to rise by five per cent, Miss Ward is concerned about what this will mean for her monthly bills.

She said: “We have an old boiler and because we’re renting we haven’t been able to change it although our landlord has said she’ll fit a new one if we promise to stay longer.

“It’s affecting us. It means we can’t have a smart meter and I’m also concerned about the inefficiency of it and what happens if there’s another huge energy surge that could happen.

“All the mothers worry about him when we meet. It’s not just the energy, everything is going up and we made our decision to spend more on bills rather than rent, but it feels like you’re on the edge and it shouldn’t be.

“Families should know they can have a safe, warm home. We’re fine right now if the work goes well, but you worry.”

The Emergency Energy Tariff would use the existing Energy Price Guarantee mechanism to set unit costs and fixed charges for vulnerable groups at a lower level.

Campaigners have suggested this is set at the levels of energy bills in winter 2020/21, which would reduce eligible households’ monthly energy bills by around £87 a month from current levels – a saving of around 46 per cent .

Fiona Waters, spokeswoman for Warm This Winter, said: “With millions of families strapping on their hats and preparing for a poor winter in cold and damp homes, only the Government can now prevent the winter crisis.

“As well as this emergency tariff for those who are now priced out of the market, people are calling for a permanent reduction in bills, which will require government action.

“We need to improve programs to insulate homes, install more heat pumps, which are cheaper to run, and build more indigenous renewable energy so we can get off expensive gas.”

The Chancellor was also recently encouraged to use the Autumn Statement to tackle record levels of current energy debt through a Help To Repay scheme, which would be on top of tariff support to prevent further increase debt levels.