“A recent survey was taken that asked 1,000 people if having a smart meter installed gave them stress and anxiety. Nearly 30% answered yes, but now we wonder if this will increase if people have to start paying more?

The new energy price cap is to go up c.54% which could be detrimental to the vulnerable people in our society. Many pensioners and low-income families could struggle with this and it might leave some families without gas and electricity because they simply cannot afford it.

The survey also asked if people were looking at alternative options to reduce usage and out of the 1,000 people that answered, 73% said yes. This is when we decided to speak with an energy expert to find out what other options people could have and why some might be better than others.”

Karl Tippins, Financial expert at Pension Times.

Speaking with Ann Christian, aged 69, about the energy price cap these are her comments:

“It is a bit of worry, as I don’t want to have to start thinking – can I afford to heat my home? It does get very cold some days and I don’t want to have to start rationing my heating in order to afford higher energy bills.

My home is an older building that is harder to heat so it takes a lot longer and then I’ve got my health to think about. It’s not easy being old but I’m sure me and my husband will think of something, even if it’s not ideal.”

What the Energy Experts are saying:

“It’s understandable that some people are worried about the energy price cap going up. However, no matter how tempting it is to look for a new energy company to save a few more pennies, you won’t cut your bill by switching. Instead, you should spend most of your time doing simple things to help save money on your energy bills.

The first step would be to make sure all your phone chargers are unplugged, don’t leave things on standby and use energy-efficient light bulbs. Remember, if you use more, you’ll pay more.”

Chris Harvey, Energy expert at Stelrad.