Energy News

Brits struggle to pay utility bills

Wednesday 19 October, 2011

By Martin Fagan

As inflation hits 5.2%, almost half of Brits say they struggle to afford their gas and electricity bills.

Gas and electricity bills are Brits' biggest financial worry, with 39% citing utilities bills as their top concern, according to research by home insurance provider, Swiftcover.

The research showed a steady rise in concerns over utility payments with age. While only a fifth of 16-24-year-olds worry about their utility bills, nearly half of people between the ages of 45 and 55 cite gas and electricity payments as their biggest concern.

According to Swiftcover, the proportion of over-55s concerned by their utility bills is also high, suggesting this is a worry people grow into as they get older, which will get worse because of the government's recent reduction of the Winter Fuel Allowance by as much as £100.

"Staying warm during winter should be a right, but with rising prices it is increasingly becoming a privilege,” said Amanda Edwards, senior marketing manager at Swiftcover.

“When you think of all the snow last year it's clear how difficult it is to live without central heating, but paying the bill is clearly causing people misery."

The Swiftcover research shows that people in Newcastle and Liverpool worry more about their utilities bills than anywhere else, with nearly half of the people in each city admitting to payment woes.

In London utility bills were still high on the agenda, although almost a quarter of Londoners said they were more worried about affording their mortgage this year.

A separate survey found that, as the weather turns colder, one in four households are refusing to turn on their heating as rising energy prices hit home.

Just over 5% of households cannot afford to heat their homes and a further 17% will only flick the “on” switch if the weather gets really cold, according to a poll by moneysupermarket.com.