Lorry driver Sara Jones currently pays £264 for gas and electricity each month - despite only being at home for half a day most weeks.
The 51-year-old, who lives alone, says she already struggles to pay her energy bill and doesn’t think the new help announced by Liz Truss will help her in the winter.
A new “Energy Price Guarantee” is replacing the Ofgem price cap from October.
Energy bills for the typical household will be capped at £2,500 a year for two years - instead of rising to £3,549 in October.
While this will save most people an extortionate bill increase, families are already struggling to pay their bill as it is.
The current Ofgem price cap is £1,971 and the “Energy Price Guarantee” will be £2,100 when you take the £400 discount into consideration.
Households generally pay more for energy in the winter as well, due to switching the heating on.
'I can't afford any more price increases'
Sara, who lives in Cheshire in a three-bed property, is currently being “charged a fortune” for energy.
The mum-of-two is with EDF and says she can't get her head around why her bills are so high.
“I live on my own with my two dogs. I’m only here half a day a week because I work away,” she told The Mirror.
“I pay £264 a month for gas and electricity. I live in a three-bed semi in Cheshire.
“I’m struggling with everything that is going up. I cannot afford any more price increases.
“It doesn’t help people who are working full time and who are struggling to pay their bills.
“There is no help. There is going to be so much debt in this country.”
'It's still much more than we were paying at first'
Steven Waterson, 47, a postman from Barrow-in-Furness, echoed these fears and worries rising costs will push him into debt.
He is currently with British Gas and said he was due to be charged £350 a week for energy.
“It’s still much more than we were paying at first - and what we can afford,” he said.
“I’m really scared of the future prices as I know during the winter I will use far more energy.
“I can only see this going one way - with me being in debt and the prospect of having to sell my home that I’ve worked so hard for.
“I was paying £84 a month but my energy company said it wanted to up my bills to £240. I currently work full time and only take home just over £350 a week.
“My only option was to cancel my direct debit and pay for what I use. Currently paying about the same as before - so around £90 a month. “
'Businesses have to forward plan... it's very frightening'
Businesses are not covered by the price cap, but Ms Truss has promised they will receive six months of “equivalent” support.
No further details have been confirmed - meaning today’s announcement has provided little comfort for entrepreneurs like Joyce Pinfield.
The care home owner has been holding off signing a two-year contract for gas at her independent care home that would see an eye watering 1,000% increase.
Joyce, who runs Greenacres in Crowle, near Scunthorpe, hopes she can stick with current rates this winter - but doesn’t yet know for sure.
She said: “She did not mention care homes. She mentioned pubs. We offer a public service.
“It is the elderly and vulnerable we are looking after and we can’t cut our services, we can’t cut heat, the equipment we have that need energy.
“Many businesses need to keep going, but social care should have been mentioned today to show she is going to help us look after our elderly, the vulnerable.”
Joyce added: “I am disappointed we don’t have the detail.There is a lot of uncertainty after today’s announcement.
“Businesses all have to forward plan, if we can only plan for six months it is very difficult to take a view on investment, new projects, even continuity of present services. In care homes it’s very frightening.
“It will help us over some of the worst months of the year weather wise, but after that I need some certainty my energy costs won’t be going up by that incredible amount. It’s just unsustainable.”
