Sky News: Europeans “watch TV with blankets and robes”
The fuel crisis erupted due to many factors, including the “last drop” is the war in Ukraine that is making households in European countries really miserable.
Sky News’ exclusive estimates show the scale of the impact of rising energy prices on the most vulnerable in society.
In the UK, in the worst affected areas, two in five households with children are impacted by fuel shortages, two of which are worst hit.
2.5 million households with children are experiencing fuel stress after the new energy tariffs take effect on April 1, according to estimates from the Coalition to End Fuel Shortage (EFPC). ).
Accordingly, 2 out of 5 households with children will be severely affected and this number increases to more than half if we look at single-parent homes.
Overall, more than a quarter of UK households – more than 15 million people – are running short on fuel, as the cost of a standard bill has increased by 50 per cent.
The definition of fuel stress used here is a household spending more than 10% of its income on energy bills. A UK living standards advisory group warned that a bill shock would bring the total number of households spending at least 10 per cent of their income on energy to five million.
A study published in the British Medical Journal explored the “intimate” link between poverty and poor health.
“Children who grow up in cold, damp and moldy homes with inadequate ventilation have higher-than-average rates of respiratory infections and asthma, chronic health problems and disabilities.”base on the research.
“They are also more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, weaker physical growth, and slower cognition.”
Pressure on households
Protest against rising energy prices in London, England. Getty Images
Not only in the UK, the problem may be more serious in other countries.
In Scotland, 900,000 households – less than 40% – fall into “fuel poverty” under the new limit, with 600,000 households in “extreme fuel poverty”, according to Energy Action’s group Scotland.
Nearly 3 in 5 people living on the Western Isles will soon spend more than 10% of their income on energy. Extreme fuel poverty is when a household spends more than 20% of its income on energy.
The Scottish government’s target is for no more than 5% of households to be “fuel poor” and less than 1% to be extremely fuel-poor.
In Wales, National Energy Action estimates that 280,000 households are in fuel poverty – 100,000 more than in October 2021.
However, the concern here is that the tightening of bills is not only limited to the energy sector but also to other items such as internet, mobile phone and water bills, taxes, etc., which have all increased in this month.
“As fuel costs rise, people are increasingly forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families,” Sky News reports.
“With the new price, I can hardly afford the necessities. The whole family has to go to bed early to not turn on the heater,” said a single woman.
Karen Harris says her situation is getting worse due to rising energy prices. Photo: BBC
This woman added, the whole family must go to bed earlier, cover with blankets, wear robes to watch TV because this will save electricity and gas.
The life of people with disabilities is even more difficult.
Financial expert Martin Lewis has lobbied for the government to help people with disabilities as the energy price cap rises. He told the BBC: “We need to help them… this is not a political party position, this is a humanitarian position.”
Advocates for the disabled say they cannot afford the simplest life. Karen Harris, from Ystalyfera, Neath Port Talbot, said: ‘Things in my late stages are getting worse.
“My gas and electricity bills are up around £25 a week – my old £80-a-month direct debit has gone up to £190.”
She added: “I can’t afford this, so I’ve limited my direct debit to £100 a month and I’ll have to turn off the heating.”
She was worried when she said, “this country is going back to the Dark Ages – and the vulnerable will be left behind.”
Charities such as nursing centers have also struggled to deal with soaring energy bills.
Jason Foster, director of finance and corporate services for children’s charity Hafan, said the charity’s income has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and the cost of operating services must is strictly controlled.
“The recent increase in energy costs will hit us hard, especially as we have to negotiate new terms with our suppliers later this year,” he said.
What did the British government do?
The UK government has announced plans for a £200 loan to help households pay these bills, which will be repaid by adding £40 to the bills over the next five years.
There is also a £150 tax refund for eligible households that will not need to be reimbursed.
These short-term measures are published on the assumption that the increase in the cost of gas and oil, will also be short-term.
Since that announcement, Russia’s war in Ukraine has destabilized energy markets further and is likely to push bills higher when the price cap is updated next October.
Energy Action Scotland’s chief executive, Frazer Scott, says the price list could rise by another £1,000, and that figure will increase in two years.
“Without further government intervention, in terms of VAT, environmental taxes and the profits of giant energy companies, thousands of other lives will be lost. It is a human tragedy. on our doorstep”.
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