Money guru Martin Lewis has advised people not to panic in the face of huge energy bills expected this summer.
Speaking on ITV's This Morning show, Martin had some key advice for families struggling to pay for their power when the energy price cap goes up on April 1.
The financial expert said he thought the Chancellor will have to intervene, probably in his spring statement later this month, but for those who couldn't wait, he said: "If you are really struggling, speak to your supplier.
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"If you can't afford to pay, speak to them. They can't cut you off."
The current energy price cap on standard variable and default tariffs, set by regulator Ofgem, is currently £1,277 per year on average for a typical household, but this will shoot up to £1,971 per year on April 1.
Last month, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £9bn package of help for consumers who will be impacted by the 54% price cap rise.
This includes a one-off repayable £200 discount and a £150 rebate on council tax bills, and £144m to councils to support vulnerable households amid surging energy prices.
However, many consumers are still worried how they will afford their bills.
One person who called into This Morning was Helen from Cardiff.
She said she was "really concerned" as her bills were set to go up by £200 a month with her supplier.
Martin said that was "not acceptable" and advised Helen to talk to her supplier - but did warn that prices for everybody are likely to "go up horrendously in April" and again in October.
Martin added: "We're going to be faced with typical bills in the country for an average normal household of around £3,000 a year by October.
"That is totally unsustainable. As a money saving expert I have very few tools left in my arsenal."
After the show, Martin took to Twitter to comment on the phone-in.
"My heart just sank doing my phone in just then - as it does almost every time I hear 'energy bills' right now," he said.
"So many people understandably unable to process the scale of the increases and unable to meet the price. It is depressing and dangerous.
Martin urged people to speak to their supplier if they were worried about paying their bill.
"There are hardship funds out there. British Gas has one that even customers who aren't its customers can apply to. Most of the big funds have them to. Speak to somebody like National Energy Action. There's the warm home discount. There is Government support.
"Speak to Citizens Advice. I mean, there is some help available if you are properly struggling, but I'm not sure there's enough help for everybody out there."
