North Yorkshire charities encourage people to ask for help with energy bills

New research suggest more than 40% are concerned about costs this Winter

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 15th Oct 2024

New research suggests nearly half of people are worried about being able to pay their energy bill this Winter.

But data from the British Gas Energy Trust found only 16% have asked a charity for support.

Zoe Spokes is from AGE UK York she says they can help with a whole range of issues.

"Maximising their budgets, helping them find out what benefits they're entitled to, how to maximise their income, save energy and generally be there for them to help challenge decisions and things like that as well."

She has this advice for anyone worried: "The help is there and you're only getting what you're entitled to. So we're here to explore that with you. You're not going to get anything that you're not entitled to. It's there, reach out, let us navigate that with you."

"We're having a lot of inquiries about pension credit and if people are eligible or not and people reaching out to find out if they are going to get their winter fuel payment or not."

"They might have applied for pension credit a long time ago, and you know they're trying to navigate that system again and understand things, but that's what we're there for. Free, impartial, confidential advice."

"Dangerously unprepared"

Meanwhile we're hearing how the UK is "critically vulnerable" to another energy crisis that would see price spikes, the Energy Crisis Commission has warned.

The high-level group of experts, including representatives from Energy UK, Citizens Advice and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said the 2021-2022 crisis exposed various weaknesses in Britain's energy system across three areas - supply, demand and targeted support for the poorest households.

The commission was launched earlier this year to review the impacts of the recent energy crisis on UK households and businesses after Russia's war in Ukraine caused prices to skyrocket.

It found that Britain was "dangerously underprepared" for an energy crisis of this type and was one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, ranking second most dependent country on gas and fifth most dependent on gas for electricity against EU nations.

Household billpayers in Britain "paid the price" for the slow pace of improving housing stock, delays to new-build efficiency standards and missed opportunities to build more renewables, the commission said.

In a report released on Tuesday, the group found that on the supply side, Britain is still heavily reliant on gas for home heating and power, and urgently needs more home-produced renewable energy and storage capacity.

The UK has also failed to reduce energy demand, especially from forms of energy such as gas that show volatility when it comes to global shocks.

On the demand side, the country also has badly insulated housing stock compared with many other countries, the paper said.

The report also found that poorly targeted support schemes meant the poorest households suffered - ultimately pushing up the overall cost of the crisis for the UK and driving up national debt.

The impact has been "catastrophic" for some vulnerable households, it said, finding nine in 10 cut back their energy use and 7.5 million have hit fuel poverty.

"Future oil and gas shocks seem inevitable, but the UK remains poorly prepared to absorb these," Mr Laws said.

"Experience in other countries shows that global energy price shocks need not have catastrophic impacts on economies and societies if we take the types of actions detailed in this report."

The Energy Department (DESNZ) has been contacted for comment.

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