73% of people are seeking out ways to reduce energy usage amid skyrocketing bills | Personal Finance | Finance

This is in the wake of a record rise in global gas prices over the last six months. Out of 1000 people, the survey found that 30 percent of individuals are worried about using a smart meter.

73 percent said they were looking at alternative options to reduce usage.

69 year old Ann Christian told Express.co.uk:

“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.”

This comes as the energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed the energy price cap will increase by 54 percent on April 1, 2022.

More specifically, the energy price cap will rise to just under £2,000.

Ofgem’s price cap increase will affect approximately 22 million customers in the UK.

Those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see a £693 increase from £1,277 to £1,971 per year.

Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017.

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This is due to a fourfold increase in the global wholesale price of gas.

In response, the Government recently announced a £9.1billion Energy Bills Rebate scheme.

This is aimed at supporting lower-income families with rising energy prices.

80 percent of households will be eligible for a one-off council tax rebate of £150 from April 2022.

Every homeowner with a property graded in bands A to D can receive the rebate.

This will not need to be repaid.

All domestic electricity customers will also get £200 off their energy bills from October this year.

Energy suppliers will apply the discount to domestic electricity with the Government meeting the costs.

The discount will then be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over the next five years.

This will begin from 2023, when global wholesale gas prices are expected to come down.

The Government will also go ahead with existing proposals to expand eligibility for the Warm Home Discount.

This will increase the number of people eligible for the payment by one third, which is around 780,000 families.