Arthur Dormer wakes up and hops on the tram into town. He’ll spend the afternoon browsing the rails at M&S. He might pop into Sainsbury’s for a quick bite to eat.
To anyone else, it looks like a perfectly normal day out. But that couldn’t be further than the truth – Arthur isn’t riding around on the Metrolink for fun, he’s doing it to stay warm.
Thankfully, this bleak scenario isn’t a reality all day long for Arthur. But the 71-year-old fears it could easily become his future when energy bills rise again in just a matter of weeks.
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“We’ve had to get rid of the car to cover our gas bills,” Arthur, from Droylsden, told the Manchester Evening News. “We’ve just had to cut down. It’s horrendous.
“I’ll have to start going on the tram and walk around Marks and Spencer’s and Sainsbury’s to keep warm and keep moving.
Asked about the future, he said: “There isn’t one. They’re just going to take whatever you’ve got.”
Energy bills in the UK are currently the highest they’ve ever been – and they’re only going to get more expensive over the next few months.
Right now, households are covered by the government’s Energy Price Guarantee which was introduced in October last year. The scheme aims to help reduce the impact of rising energy prices.
But our bills are set to rise again in a few weeks, with the Energy Price Guarantee going from £2,500 to £3,000 this April.
That means the last day of the current £2,500 limit will be March 31 – with the government's £400 energy bill discount also coming to an end.
“We struggle with money, but we’re not moaning about it,” Arthur says as he walks through Droylsden Shopping Centre with his wife. “We just have to plug it in and go with it. You can’t let it get to you.
“My brother-in-law is 86 and he’s just had a bill for £400. He lives on his own, so he’s not cooking a dozen meals a day. Our bills have gone up by £80 in just two weeks.”
Arthur’s concerns come ahead of Ofgem’s new price cap, which is set to be announced on February 27. The public body is responsible for overseeing the electricity and gas markets.
Last month, Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley said it was “possible” the price cap could drop below £3,000 due to a fall in wholesale gas and electricity prices.
However, analysts at Cornwall Insight predicted this week that the next Ofgem price cap will be £3,338. If this were to happen, the EPG would keep prices to £3,000 on average.
From July, Cornwall Insight predicts a typical bill under the Ofgem price cap could be around £2,361.
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