“It makes me feel sh**,” single mum-of-five Rachel Parks says as she shelters from the blazing sun. “You can't have as many nice days out with the kids.”
Temperatures are rising in Prestwich and the air smells like hot tarmac. Rachel, 39, glances down at her baby as she tenderly feeds him a snack. Beside her is a trolley full of shopping from Aldi.
“It’s hard in the holidays,” the teaching assistant added. “You don’t get anything if you work – no meal vouchers, nothing. I’m just shopping constantly and working more to shop more.
READ MORE: Mum was told to take her son to the GP after he stops playing with his friends
“Your kids want to go out because everyone else is. When they go to the park they want to go on the fair or have an ice cream. You just have to do more hours – I've always been able to work part time but now I’m doing full time. I’ve got less time at home with the kids.”
While the blistering heat might feel unbearable for some, others may be enjoying the warmth while they can. In just a few months, households could see their energy prices rise by 82 per cent, taking average annual bills to £3,582 as the nation remains gripped by the cost of living crisis.
The terrifying new stats mean energy prices would have almost tripled in just one year. Last October, the price cap was £1,277.
New data has shown more than 700,000 households in Greater Manchester could be paying hundreds more than they need to for their gas and electric bills due to living in energy inefficient homes.
At the end of March last year, 707,785 homes across the region were found to be potentially in Bands D to G. Bands go from A to G, with G being the worst.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics, analysed by our data unit, indicate Bury has the highest proportion of homes potentially in Bands D - G in Greater Manchester, with up to 68 per cent of properties in the bottom bands.
Households in Sedgley Park in Bury had the highest bills in 2020/21, before the recent price rises, averaging at – £1,098 – with 84 per cent of homes found to be Band D or below.
In the Whitefield West & Park Lane area of Bury, bills averaged at £1079, with 82 per cent of homes in Band D or below.
In neighbouring Unsworth, 82 per cent of homes were in Band D or below, though bills were lower at £986.
To put those figures in context the average estimated energy cost for a Band C property in England was £537 a year in 2020/21.
One mum who has seen a huge rise in energy costs is Michelle Barratt, who lives in Prestwich. The 40-year-old has seen her bills increase from £250 a month to £387 - meaning she will no longer be able to put money aside for savings. It’s a prospect that makes the family feel “scared stiff”.
“It’s a worry,” she says as she stands beside children Grace, four, and George, two. “We’re on a fixed tariff but it’s going to go up.
“We do put some money aside for savings but we’re not going to have that now. It'll just get eaten up with energy costs.
“I’ve not worked since having kids. I’ve done bits but I’ve not gone back to work. Now I’m thinking I’m going to have to start getting work again – but if I go back to work, I’m going to have to pay for childcare costs.
“I’m definitely changing how I shop. I used to get branded products but now I just get supermarket own brands. I’m not eating as much meat; we used to buy steaks sometimes, we won’t buy that now because it’s gone up loads.
“Before, I didn’t even think about it. If I wanted something I would put it in the trolley. Now I’m looking at if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.”
June and David Senitor sit in the shade at the Longfield Centre. While they are managing to get by, they’ve found themselves cutting back on certain food luxuries in order to stay afloat.
“We’re not happy,” David, 83, from Prestwich, said. “It’s funny how they can make so much profit instead of giving it to pensioners and helping them. Every time you look at something, it’s gone up.”
Leanne Whitworth and her friend Dean sit outside a café at the shopping precinct. Leanne, from Whitefield, has Coeliac disease. The condition means her immune system attacks her own tissues when she eats gluten.
Due to the rising cost of living, the 46-year-old says gluten-free products have become more expensive. Increased costs mean she has been forced to skip meals.
“Sometimes I have to not eat,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I’m Coeliac so I do find it hard with bills going up. I have to get certain food. I have a smart meter and that’s gone up by £15 a week.”
Like thousands of others across Greater Manchester, Dean, 57, is struggling financially at the moment. “We’re skint,” he added. “I’ve got no money. I’m poor. We’ve got no choice.
“It’s the ‘What’s going to happen?’. I’ve not hit it yet; my utility bills are okay. But then I think we’re all in the same boat. They’ve got to do something; they’re not going to cut everyone off.
“It’s not going to affect just me. It’ll affect everyone whether you’re working or on benefits. I’m a service user so I’m on benefits.
“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. You can only pay for what you can afford and your priority is food and good heating and lighting. There’s no point worrying about it.”
Across Greater Manchester, 707,785 were potentially in Bands D to G at the end of March last year. The figures are based on Office for National Statistics analysis that showed 57% of local homes with an EPC were potentially in Band D or below.
Bolton - 73,882 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 59% of local dwellings.
Bury - 57,033 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 68% of local dwellings.
Manchester - 108,801 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 47% of local dwellings.
Oldham - 60,387 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 63% of local dwellings.
Rochdale - 53,649 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 57% of local dwellings.
Salford - 49,869 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 40% of local dwellings.
Stockport - 87,230 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 67% of local dwellings.
Tameside - 61,987 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 60% of local dwellings.
Trafford - 66,592 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 66% of local dwellings.
Wigan - 88,354 homes were potentially in Bands D to G, 60% of local dwellings.
The average estimated energy cost for a Band C property in England was £537 a year in 2020/21 (which means it doesn’t include the recent price rises) - £287 less than the £824 those in Band D properties paid on average. Those in Band G properties were paying as much as £2,328 a year.
Where in Greater Manchester are homes least efficient - and potentially paying more:
Neighbourhood // LA // % Band D or below // Average energy cost in 2020/21
High Lane // Stockport // 87% // £1,045
Urmston West // Trafford // 85% // £922
Salem // Oldham // 85% // £957
Hazel Grove West // Stockport // 84% // £950
Sedgley Park // Bury // 84% // £1,098
Timperley North // Trafford // 83% // £988
Bramhall North East // Stockport // 83% // £1,025
Unsworth // Bury // 82% // £986
Failsworth South // Oldham // 82% // £843
Bramhall West // Stockport // 82% // £1,057
Droylsden West // Tameside // 82% // £841
Whitefield West & Park Lane // Bury // 82% // £1,079
Ashton upon Mersey South // Trafford // 82% // £1,030
A Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “We are investing over £6.6bn to decarbonise homes and buildings and bringing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC band C by 2035."
READ NEXT:
