A recent survey has revealed that some Northern Ireland households are having to choose to either eat or heat their home.
The findings from the survey carried out by e nergy comparison tool Power to Switch paints a stark image of homes across NI struggling to pay increased energy bills and worrying about the impacts of further price rises.
Almost a third of the 790 respondents said that anytime they were cold they did not put on the heating because of concerns about the impact on their bill.
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When asked what respondents were worried about in particular, there were many answers related to choosing between heating the house and buying food for the household. There were also concerns about getting into debt, health risks related to cold or malnourishment, and impacts of cold on the home’s level of dampness.
For keypad customers, the problem of rising bills brings the increased risk of self-disconnection (running out of credit on the meter and not having the money to top up immediately).
70% of those who used keypad meters had run out of credit and were not able to top up in the last 12 months. This happened to over half of people 2-5 times during the last year, and almost a third had run out of credit and not been able to top up 6 times or more during the last year.
Director of Power to Switch Aodhan O’Donnell urged people to seek help if needed.
He said: “The current situation around energy is extremely worrying. Costs have been on the rise for over a year now, and it still seems as though there will be further increases in the months to come.
“People should make sure to get help where they need it. Contact your energy supplier if you are struggling, and be aware of various grants and schemes available to help cut down costs or simply help financially.
“You can also look at various ways to cut back on energy usage, or try switching your energy deal, to see if you can save that way, too.”
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