Energy cost rises - who wouldn't be worried!? By local resident Jan Watterson

This is a companion piece to the one about Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE). BWCE is working towards a green energy future that will benefit us all. But before we get there, most of us still rely on fossil fuels and we’ll have to cope with dramatic increases in our gas and electric bills for a couple of years at least.

(On top of this, many of us are in limbo after our energy supplier went bust at the end of 2021. The surviving energy suppliers have been overwhelmed by the number of new customers they have had to take on. Many have not yet told their new customers what they should be paying since the switch.  If you are in this situation, please don’t treat it like a payment holiday! Put aside as much money as you can towards the day when you will receive a bill covering the weeks and months of confusion.)

How can we manage?

No matter how carefully we budget, those sharp hikes in our energy bills will come on top of the other cost-of-living increases that are swirling around us now. But there is help available.

£200 from the Government – next October we will all receive a £200 reduction in our energy bills. This will be paid back over the following 5 years as a £40 addition to our energy bills each April.

£150 from the Government – rebate on Council Tax in April 2022, for households in bands A to D.

£250 grant from BANES Council – towards energy costs. This must be spent by 31st March 2022. You are eligible if you get certain benefits or have a combined household income from earnings and pensions of less than £350 per week plus savings and capital of less than £2,000. Full details and an application form here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/apply-energy-top-grant-household-support-fund

£140 Warm Homes Discount – administered by the larger energy companies. This is an annual discount on energy bills for people who meet certain criteria. Ask your energy company if they offer this and what their rules are. (This information may be on their website.) But do it soon as the schemes run from October to March each year.  Next October, for winter 2022/23, the Government is increasing the payment to £150 and is also widening the criteria so that more families will be eligible.

What else can we do?

Quite a lot. There are low-cost ways to make homes warmer and reduce draughts. We can change our behaviour to reduce how much energy we use. 

Does that sound daunting?

There is a charity called Centre for Sustainable Energy (quite a mouthful – we shorten it to “CSE”) that offers free help with all these. They also advise on home improvements for energy efficiency. If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, they can support you in negotiations with your energy company.  They are just a free phone call away: 0800 082 2234. 

Finally, as this piece has been a bit grim … I can’t resist sharing this joke with you: 

“I can’t wait to see what everyone spends their £200 rebates on. I’m thinking of using mine to pay off the £200 rebate I have to pay back.”