A frustrated Nottingham woman forced has been to sleep in multiple layers to keep warm without heating after her gas bills skyrocketed. Julie Dexter, of Sherwood, explained her gas prices had always been "pretty average" at around £60 per month but for the combined months of November and December her gas bill was £652 in addition to an electricity bill of around £200.
The 59 year old said following the unexpected increase, which saw a month of gas cost her five times more than usual at over £300, she contacted her supplier Octopus Energy. Julie said she was told to do a creep test on her meter and it was also recommended she have her gas appliances tested.
It appeared that there was nothing wrong with her appliances and she was told that she must just be using the gas. Julie said: "I have not done anything differently, I live by myself and I'm very frugal."
Octopus Energy has said she used the same amount of energy this winter as the last two, but "the global energy crisis has seen prices skyrocketing which means her bills were higher this winter."
Julie added: "I said it just simply can't go from around £60 a month to £325. Everything that they tell you to do I've been doing for years, I couldn't be living any more frugally.
"They just weren't having any of it and I had to bit the bullet and pay out my savings." Julie recently lost her job and has been living on her pension, which she explained is not enough to cover these higher bills.
She said: "I can't keep doing these bills. When we got to the end of January I had had a holiday booked so I was away for a week, I gave the meter reading on the 10th or 11th February, baring in mind the heating is on really really low to the point of almost being negligible.
"I got the statement and it was £219.52 for the electric and £167 for gas, and although that wasn't too bad I had had next to nothing on. So I have had no heating on whatsoever since then, but it's making me ill."
Julie has lived in her home for 22 years and explained: "I have a lot of floorboards and brickwork and that holds a lot of the cold." She continued: "In terms of Octopus they have raised a complaint in relation to the £652 for November and December and even the £167 for January because I was using next to no gas.
"I don't even shower at home, I shower at the gym. I can't cook and I might have three or four hot drinks a day, I have no devices or electrical gadgets. I have no dryer, no dishwasher, these things that ordinarily people have, I'm having to sit in the dark wrapped up.
"I haven't been using the heating and I haven't been putting anything on as whilst they are charging me that, I can't afford it. There's just not enough for me to live on."
She added: "I don't drive, I have to walk or use public transport, I'm not a smoker, not a drinker, it's just crazy. I just think this is bonkers. I just can't cope with bills like that, I have cardboard and newspapers on the floor and I've got all the radiators covered with heavy sleeping bags and curtains.
"If you saw how I'm living, it's just ridiculous. The other day I sat in Victoria Centre and texted my brother that I'm officially old as I've been sat in the centre trying to try and get warm, I've been walking the streets and want to go home but it's just so so cold.
"I am so discombobulated, I can't think straight, I can't function straight." Due to the issues, Julie had a gas safety engineer from Cadent come to her house a few days ago, and they found a small gas leak around her gas boiler which meant her boiler had to be switched off completely. However, Julie was told by the engineer that this wouldn't have led to her massive bill as it was so "minute."
Octopus have been speaking with Julie, and have arranged for a gas engineer to visit her home to fix her boiler leak and turn on her gas again. An Octopus Energy spokesperson said: “Ms Dexter used the same amount of energy this winter as the last two, but the global energy crisis has seen prices skyrocketing which meant her bills were higher this winter.
"We are not profiting from this crisis, instead we have chosen to make a loss by absorbing £150m of the cost increases to keep prices as low as possible for customers. We’re pleased to have been able to help Ms Dexter as much as we can, including helping her understand her bills, conducting a smart meter check, fixing a small gas leak she had, offering her a free electric blanket and crediting her account from our financial hardship fund.
“We welcome the Nottingham Post raising awareness of how, even with assistance, how challenging this crisis is for customers - and we ask that any other customer struggling please do reach out. We are here to help.”
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