To think the energy increase in April is the last straw.

[borderline53]

Just how the hell are we supposed to cope with this. I’m so stressed with everything. I have grown up kids who I fear for more than anything. Where’s it going to end. Life’s just so bloody hard. Sorry I know it’s the same for us all, I just needed to vent.

Ours is at 14 in the evenings and only on for a morning hour if it's the weekend and under 12 in the sitting room.

I’d end up with more washing and drying doing that my daughter wets the bed when cold. It is rather annoying tbh but can’t change it. It is who she is. She already has fluffy pjs and always have two blankets and two duvets folded at the bottom of her bed if she wants/needs them.

There is using less and slowly starving to death or getting sick because of lack of heat and real food (the kind with vitamins in as opposed to ping meals)

Your not supposed to be making extreme profits out of poor people either but shell didn't get the memo

Bills usually go down in the second quarter don't they, as we heat our houses less? I'm hoping the unit price will be back down again by next winter mind.

Oh honestly, just shut up. Some people are already scaling back to the absolute eye watering bare minimum and still can’t afford to live. Just shut up with this privileged, short sighted bullshit.

We’ll be using less as soon as possible. So April should be better cost wise anyway

For the first time ever since I've been paying for gas and electricity ( 34 years since I was married and had my own places ) I'm now over drawn on my account
Shell know that we will pay it, but it's ridiculous what we pay for one small 3 bed semi.
It'll be over 200 a month and just rising each month it seems.
The council tax is going up in April too
Food is off the charts
It is depressing and how big families cope I've no idea

@BMW6
2 disabled children who need a warm house to survive and rely on tons of medical equipment is what we spend 500 to 600 a month on so dont be s o judgemental.

This dosent really make sense. Presume it's a wind up post.
It's winter and it's cold, we need the heating on.
Doubt anyone keeps putting the heat on when they don't need it.
People need to keep warm and elderly people feel the cold more. Heat is a must when it's cold.

Tbh up to now I've tried to remain optimistic, but with the latest news I could honestly sit and cry. So many people are at absolute breaking point, it's just not good enough. Sadly I wish I could I say I know what the answer is, but I don't.

At the beginning of October we were £600 odd in credit. I have and continue to be frugal with heating and electricity use - DD was £180pm, on top of the £67pm government payment. We are now £171 in debt, which will be cleared this week so just about breaking even.
I said to DH earlier we are going to have to work like hell to build up a credit again for the winter.
I've bene reading articles on energy prices today and whilst the wholesale prices have dropped, the charge to consumers hasn't. The faint silver lining I suppose is that apparently fixed prices will start coming into play soon and next winter won't be as painful..... I hope!

Mine has gone from £140 to £360. I’m in a really fortunate position that as an NHS worker where staffing is always short, I can pick up bank shifts to cover the extra. But honestly, I shouldn’t have to work almost 60 hours a week just to cover the bare minimum with nothing left for treats or leisure.
I honestly don’t know how low income families and people on benefits are coping. It’s terrifying.

How they can tell us all to have an E car when it costs loads is anyone's guess
I don't know if you get a concession , but how will that work going forwards for millions of cars ?
Without cheap fuel we are all held by the short and curlies for everything you can think of

That is such a pig ignorant comment, I couldn't be more offended.

Most of us are using the very bare minimum of energy as it is, and if you opened your ears (!) We're talking about the fact that we can't afford that let alone another price hike in top. You're implying that people are having the heating on 24/7, tv's blaring in every room, showers every five minutes ....when nothing could be further from the truth.

I suggest you get in the real world - perhaps a stint volunteering in the local food bank would be enough to give your head a wobble.

Martin Lewis thinks the rise might not happen now but of course he can't be sure.

These sort of comments are so ignorant. What about the thousands of frail pensioners at home 24/7, people with disabled DC / adults at home? I work as a Community Nurse and had a patient and their wife crying to me about this a few weeks back. They have end of life respiratory disease - they have an electric hospital bed, 24 hour oxygen that has to be plugged in, wear a ventilator overnight, a feeding tube, a nebuliser at various times through the day, all through the summer needed several fans on. Yet alone the basic necessity of heating / cooking / washing, maybe even watch a bit of TV to distract them from the utterly shit life they have.

Help the planet, come on!!!!

@borderline53

Martin Lewis thinks the rise might not happen now but of course he can't be sure

I also went to another one with a degenerative disease and two teenage kids at home, it was perishingly cold in the house, this persons temperature was dangerously low. They explained they just could not afford to put the heating on - it is heartbreaking when you see it in reality. Truly truly heartbreaking.

So -

As was pointed out to me elsewhere, we still have the energy guarantee - £3000 per year, but it's the cost per kWh that is key. The cost of energy per kWh might be going up in April - depending on the Government.

However,

We will use less energy in the summer months - as there is less heating.. So that's a positive.

In Autumn, the cost of energy on the price cap is predicted to fall below the current levels of the energy price guarantee. There won't be the £400 that we had though.

There might be some longer fixes being offered from energy companies.

People saying "We should use it as an excuse to do our part to save the planet and not waste energy blah blah" seem completely deluded to the fact that actually, the majority of households DO take big steps not to waste energy and save money anyway.

But as usual the Brits will roll over and take it because we are too afraid to stand up for ourselves (although the strikes seem to be instilling a backbone into some).

And before anyone says it yes, I'd be (and have previously for similar causes) been straight out on the street protesting.

Nixnjj1 - Can the hospital organise transport for you? Do you have a community Facebook page, I am sure if you explained on there someone would be able to give you a lift. Where abouts in the country are you, I am in the south east, if you're near me I would happily give you a lift.

Apparently grant Shapps was hinting today at more govt help? Isn’t there a budget soon? Maybe they’ll announce something?

I've always been pretty cautious with energy anyway but this is the first year I've got chilblains which says it all
Never had them in 30 years of having horses and I don't even have a horse now!

I wasn't suggesting others do the same. Just agreeing that it's the people who have already turned down their thermostats because they can't afford it who will be most affected.

I understand what you are saying, but what would you recommend as an alterative to rioting or doing nothing?