The UK Government is reportedly planning for gas shortages and electricity blackouts if the country is hit by a colder winter than average.
Households and industry could be asked to curb their energy use in January, according to the government's reasonable worst-case scenario.
Bloomberg said that during four days at the start of 2023 the UK may be forced to adopt emergency measures in order to halt the amount of gas being used across the country.
The dire warning from people, with knowledge of the government's planning, comes after analysts delivered a shock warning that energy bills could top £4,200 in the new year.
The two remaining contenders in the Tory leadership race faced renewed calls to spell out how they would help after Cornwall Insight forecast average bills could hit about £3,582 in October, from £1,971 today, before rising even further in January.
On Monday, Nicola Sturgeon demanded a meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the cost-of-living crisis.
While, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the government's emergency disaster committee, Cobra, to be in session permanently in order to fix the crisis.
It's believed there could be a capacity shortfall for electricity totalling around a sixth of peak demand.
According to Bloomberg the first stage of the winter plan would involved directing gas to where it is needed most, with the second phase stopping supplies to 'gas-fired power stations' and blackouts to households and industry.
Rishi Sunak said he had "no doubt" extra support would be needed to get people through the winter, Truss again insisted her priority was tax cuts to kick start the economy.
Speaking during a campaign visit to Huddersfield, the Foreign Secretary said that if she became prime minister she would "see what the situation is like" in the autumn.
Earlier, Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis, appealed to the two contenders to bury their differences to tackle the problem problem together, warning the country was facing a "national cataclysm".
"They are all in the same party; let's call on them to come together for the good of the nation rather than personal point-scoring," he said.
Truss has been under fire from her rival after she suggested at the weekend that there should be no more "handouts".
Sunak has argued that her plan to scrap a hike in national insurance would do little to help the most vulnerable, giving less than £60 to workers on the national living wage and nothing at all to pensioners.
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