Defence Secretary Ben Wallace advised cutting energy use
(Picture: PA Wire)Families were today urged by a senior Cabinet minister to look at ways of reducing their energy use this winter amid concerns that the Government’s £400 discount on soaring bills won’t be enough to ease the pressure on household budgets.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace suggested that with energy prices “going up and up and up”, partly due to the war in Ukraine, Britain could follow the example set by European governments which have introduced a plan to save gas use by 15 per cent until next spring.
He told Sky News: “Countries in Europe are already doing energy-saving measures. What steps can we all take at home to try and reduce our energy?”
On Friday, the Government revealed details on how households will get more than £60 off their energy bills each month throughout the winter — part of a £15 billion package of support announced by former chancellor Rishi Sunak in May.
Households will see £66 taken off their energy bills in October and November, and £67 between December and March, the Government said.
At the same time a website has been launched by the Government with tips on how to cut energy consumption and improve efficiency.
But the advice stops short of the new legislative tool announced by Brussels last week which sets a clear target for all users to reduce gas consumption.
And with the Ofgem energy price cap set to rise to more than £3,400 in October, campaign groups have questioned whether the Government’s current plans to ease the cost of living crisis is sufficient.
Maureen Fildes from National Energy Action, the fuel poverty charity, told BBC Radio 4’s Today show: “I don’t think that is going to be sufficient to help people cope with the cost of living this winter. There is a lot of fear about how people are going to survive the winter.”
Caroline Flint, chairwoman of the Committee on Fuel Poverty and a former Labour MP, added: “I think every step possible has to be made to prevent people turning off their heating.
“One of the worries of our committee is that those... people who are not going to be able to afford it despite the support they are getting, will actively just not turn on their heating.”
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis yesterday said Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Tory leadership contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak needed to agree a package to help consumers.
He said Mr Johnson’s “zombie government” was failing to address the crisis caused by rising energy bills and warned decisions on support cannot be delayed until his successor is in office.
“The impact of it is frankly catastrophic and intervention is needed, and needed now,” Mr Lewis said.
