'It's impossible to pay': Disabled caller faces £6k energy bill to power medical equipment
2 April 2022, 17:51 | Updated: 2 April 2022, 17:52
This disabled caller who relies upon equipment powered at home tells LBC she's calculated she'll be paying £450-500 a month on gas and electricity alone, as the energy price cap rises.
It comes as Brits experience a massive hike on the limit they can be charged for energy.
Yesterday Ofgem raised the price cap of gas and electricity, seeing it soar by 54 per cent to £1,971 for an average home from £1,277. Experts predict it will be around £2,700-a-year from October.
Experts have issued stark warnings that people in the UK will starve, freeze and could consider suicide as they desperately struggle to pay soaring energy bills from this month.
The huge jump in price sparked the founder of energy company Utilita, Bill Bullen, to urge households to cut their energy usage and behaviour by layering up and insulating their homes.
"I'm disabled, I'm kind of in a predicament now, I don't know what to do," 39-year-old Dianne told David Lammy.
"I rely on a lot of equipment in my property. I have an epilepsy sensor, an oxygen concentrator which is also used as a nebuliser, and I have an electric wheelchair and everything, so I need the electricity for those.
"I've got cardiac problems, renal disease, diabetes, epilepsy, spinal problems, COPD."
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Dianne continued: "My bills are going through the roof. I live in a one bedroom property. Bills have been okay up until recently.
"I did the meter reading which was advised to be done just before 1 April, and interestingly when I looked at my online bills, for about 8 or 9 days they actually charged me over £100 per week, just on electricity."
Dianne explained she lives in a one bed property and all her appliances are new and rated energy efficiency A. She receives the highest rate personal independence payment (PIP) and long-term Employment and Support Allowance as she can't work, amounting to around £1100 a month.
"Once this increase has kicked in which it has, that's £450 plus, £500 a month. It's going to be at least over £100 a month in electric alone," Dianne said.
Any remaining money left over is spent on food, water, reduced council tax, transport to hospital, clothing and other essentials, Dianne explained.
Read more: 'I didn’t think it would be this bad': Martin Lewis warns energy bills could exceed £2,500
