North Wales faces steep energy bills in April hike
Energy bills are set to rise again from 1 April, as the energy price cap increases by 6.4% to £1,849 a year for a typical household – a move that could push more residents across North Wales and the wider UK into fuel poverty.
This is the third consecutive rise in energy bills and brings the cap close to its May 2022 level of £1,971, when households received £400 in government support and extra one-off payments for those on certain benefits. No such support will be in place when the new cap begins, and additional help is not expected until later in the year.
Households in regions such as North Wales and the Mersey are already paying more than the national average for their gas and electricity, compounding concerns for those already facing hardship.
Adam Scorer, Chief Executive of National Energy Action (NEA), said: “Energy bills rising for a third time in a row is another blow for the millions of households struggling with the cost of energy and other essentials. A low-income household spending £1,849 a year or more on energy is not affordable.
“We already see the impacts of sustained high bills – total energy debt is at record levels and rising, and people have been rationing their heating to dangerous levels and going without essentials.”
He added that while the government plans to offer additional support this coming winter, it will not be enough to ease the ongoing pressures.
The rise comes in the same week that changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility were announced. Disability charity Scope warned the changes could see up to 700,000 disabled households pushed further into poverty.
Polling carried out by NEA and YouGov found that 49% of respondents across Great Britain expect to ration energy use in the months ahead. Among those with certain health conditions, that number rises significantly, including 62% of people with arthritis, 58% with asthma and mental health conditions, and 57% of those with heart problems.
Trish, a client of National Energy Action, said: “Staying warm is a problem for me. I have cut back on heating, only using it when I can’t stand the cold anymore. I shower on a timetable; I don’t switch the oven on.
“I feel the government could do more. I have worked from the age of 16 years, 45 years nursing, have never asked for handouts, paid my taxes but now when I need help the government isn’t interested in me. I don’t want much, just to be warm and a little hot food. Is that too much to ask?”
National Energy Action is calling for increased energy bill support, targeted government and regulator action to address mounting household energy debt, and significant investment in home insulation through the upcoming Warm Homes Plan.
More information is available at nea.org.uk/energy-crisis.
