Citizens Advice Worcester and Herefordshire braced for a 'challenging' few months
The charity are worried people might have to make difficult choices between heating or eating this winter
Citizens Advice Worcester and Herefordshire say they are worried people could be left to face a difficult choice between heating their homes or eating this winter.
The new Ofgem energy price cap came into place earlier this week, with an average household energy bill rising by £149, meaning the annual bill for a typical dual fuel household in England increased to £1,717.
Anne Limbert is a service manager who works for the Citizens Advice charity across the two counties, and she says it is worrying hearing how those in the area could be set to struggle.
"We are bracing ourselves for a challenging winter," she said.
"In particular, we are concerned about households with children and young people, and those on low incomes who will struggle with their heating costs.
"Everybody's feeling the pinch, and energy bills are still piling pressure on people's budgets, but people need warm, comfortable homes.
"The help we can do does give people peace of mind and help with their well-being, and it can make the difference of keeping people warm and them not having to choose between heating and eating."
Ofgem has increased the price cap by 10%, which sets a maximum price that energy suppliers can charge consumers for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use, but does not limit total bills.