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UK Older People Energy Bill Increase Overview:
- Who: The United Kingdom’s older generation is rationing its energy use in the face of rapidly increasing energy bills, advocates say.
- Why: A global energy shortage has increased the wholesale price of gas, which is being passed onto consumers in the UK.
- Where: The crisis is taking place in the UK.
Elderly people in the United Kingdom are switching off heating and living off basic foods to keep energy costs down this winter as the nation faces an energy crisis that is rapidly pushing up gas bills.
Age UK, an advocacy group for older people, is urging the government to take urgent action to “mitigate the potentially devastating impact of the escalating crisis” that is taking its toll on seniors, The Guardian reports.
Energy bills have been steadily rising since a perfect storm of global energy issues in 2021 sent the price gas suppliers have to pay for gas on the worldwide market skyrocketing to unprecedented levels.
The astronomical increase wasn’t instantly passed on to consumers in gas bills because the UK has an energy price cap, but experts have been warning consumers for months that increases are steadily coming down the line.
On Oct. 1, the gas price cap increased from £1,138 to £1,277, and The Energy Shop warned consumers to brace themselves for an “off-the-scale increase” on 1 April, 2022 of another £500 or more.
Older People Showering Less, Too Worried To Use Oven Due To Energy Price Increases
Meanwhile, Age UK told The Guardian the price increases were hitting the nation’s most vulnerable population.
“For example, we have heard from older people who are too worried to use their oven and are living off soup and sandwiches instead, showering only every two days rather than daily,and constantly watching their smart meter and turning their heating off once their daily spending exceeds the meager limit they have set,” Age UK said.
The charity said it was concerned older people on low incomes were under so much financial pressure that they were limiting even necessities. It said the government must reassure older householders that they would not “face an energy bill in the spring that will be beyond their means to pay”.
The gas crisis has been caused by a perfect storm of unlikely events, compounding in a huge impact on its price in the UK.
The UK is particularly reliant on gas. More than four-fifths of homes are still heated by gas in the UK, and almost half of its electricity is still produced by burning it.
Have you or an elderly loved one been affected by the energy crisis this winter? Let us know your experience in the comments!
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