This week we were out on the streets asking people whether energy prices were having an affect on their Christmas. And we want to hear from you too – what are you cutting back on this Christmas?
Energy bills have increased by nearly 20% in the last six months alone. And we know that this is having a negative impact on many people this Christmas, so our aim is to collect your thoughts and feelings and present them to the decision makers.
As part of our campaign for affordable energy, we want the government, energy companies and Ofgem to understand the impact that price rises are having on everyday people.
So are energy prices forcing people to cutback this Christmas, and if so what’s getting the cut?
Susan has cut back on Christmas luxuries
‘Apart from having to turn down the heating, we’ve had to give up lots of things we would normally buy at Christmas time and luxuries for the children. Obviously the children don’t understand when you have to say ‘no’ to them, but you have to do it because it’s either food or heating.
‘I’m very worried about energy prices as they don’t seem to be going down – they keep going up up up all the time and I don’t think it’s fair on families. I think it’s so out of order – there’s got to be another way.’
Meriel has given up charity giving
‘I’ve given up charity actually. I used to give to occasional people – one used to send on a little to them if one could afford it. But now you just think no, no more, I’ve got a family to keep.
‘It’s very sad, I’m not broke so I’m able to cope, but there are lots of people who are, and losing their jobs day by day. I just think it’s frightful.’
Alex is worried about heating bills
‘We’re turning things on thermostat. We’ve been very blessed by the fact that it’s been a pretty warm year so far.
‘When it does get colder, we’re going to have to ratchet up the heating which is going to affect us beyond that to the New Year.’
Emma has sacrificed heating
‘I’m not paying my energy bills at the moment but, when I was, it was one of my biggest outgoings, and every time an energy bill came through I went “there’s got to be something wrong with this” and it was higher and higher and higher, hundreds and hundreds of pounds. At one point we weren’t having the heating on at all, it was freezing – and yet our bill is the biggest of all of my bills.’
Victoria has substituted heating for clothes
‘We’re not really putting the heating up because the price is so high, so we’re wearing more and warmer clothes inside. We’re not really having decorations or having a very lavish Christmas this year what with all the energy prices going up – there’s not really much money to go on extra things.
‘I think that the lack of regulation on prices means that normal people can’t actually live in England properly and survive to a standard that we can expect to live in.’
What about you? Are you cutting back this Christmas, and have energy price rises had a hand in this? Tell us what you think below, and for your chance to a £250 John Lewis festive hamper, paste your comment into the box on this page.