Energy bills could hit almost £4,000 next year as shocking new analysis shows the cost of gas and electricity could be much higher than feared.
Money-saving guru Martin Lewis warned viewers of a 'horrendous' jump in energy prices and urged the government to take action now to stave off the coming October crisis. In the autumn bills for typical energy use will skyrocket from £1,971 per year to £3,240.
The ECHO headed down to the city centre to talk to residents and find out how the hike in energy prices has changed their quality of living. The recent rise in living costs has had devastating effects on residents with one having to hide her garden waste in bread wrappers.
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Widow Agnes Owen, 86, from Riverside said: “I've got nothing to spend. I live on my own and I have to pay for everything the same as a married couple would. I have worked all my life and I’ve not got out what I put in. The council wants to charge me £40 for a green bin. How can I pay that on my pension with everything else going up?
“I've had to save the wrappers from my loaves of bread and put my green waste in them. I have to put normal rubbish at the top so I don’t get caught but I can't afford £40 for a bin. So that is what I have to do if I want my garden tidied."
People dependent on a pension appear to be struggling the most. Many worry about how they can afford the jump if no extra money is coming in. In October the increase will mean people who pay £100 in energy bills will have to pay £165.
Pensioner Margaret Feeney, 71, from Croxteth said: “It is shocking. The cost of goods going up is shocking. Everything is going up. When you’ve got a fixed income, the extra is going out but no extra is coming in. I’m living off a pension and how are we supposed to manage it all if nothing extra is coming in?”
The hike in prices is not only affecting single people relying on a pension. Working families with two parents in full-time jobs are also starting to feel the pressure and worry about supporting their children.
Mum-of-two Helen Dykeaylen, 52, from Mossley Hill said: “It has changed how we live a lot. I am a teacher, I haven’t had a pay rise in 10 years. I have had one now but it is nowhere near enough. We are lucky that my husband and I are both teachers and get a wage but not everyone is like us.
“We have to help support our son in university which is hard but he is stuck in a room all day because university is still online. I had to work all the way through the pandemic but universities are still allowed to give online classes.
“We couldn’t go on a foreign holiday this year but we’re not struggling like others. “
While families are trying to do everything they can to make ends meet, performers in Liverpool still see generosity from residents. Street performers have seen an increase in the number of people who are carrying cash.
Ami Alex, 23, a Liverpool street performer said: “As someone who travels a lot, it is difficult. You come out and make your money but then 75% has to go to the hotel.
“People have started carrying more cash and I have seen some people give more money but I know people are just trying to save as much as they can.”
It is not just energy prices taking a toll on people's quality of living. Petrol prices are also having a big impact on everyday living and people are starting to think twice before going out.
Janice, 86, and husband Idris Louis, 76, from the city centre said: “We have both retired and now have to think twice before we even leave the house because of the price of petrol.
“At the moment it is summer so bills aren’t too bad but it is only going to get worse in the winter. The way it is going we are going to have to cut back a lot but we are lucky because we live together but those who live alone don’t get any extras at all.”
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