Struggling households need more help with bills, energy industry says
Summary
Energy UK, the group representing energy companies in the UK, says that because energy prices remain high, the government should offer more help to people struggling to pay bills. They propose a new support program that would give bigger and more precise discounts to households based on need.Key Facts
- Energy bills in the UK are expected to rise to a three-year high starting October.
- Millions of households find energy bills hard to afford, with some needing emergency support.
- The current £150 Warm Home Discount helps about 6 million people but misses 2.5 million who consume more energy due to health or housing issues.
- Energy UK suggests creating a new "social discount" scheme costing about £1.9 billion that could provide up to £450 in support to some families.
- The new scheme would use combined data on income, health, and energy use to give better-targeted help.
- The price cap on energy bills is set every three months by regulator Ofgem and recently has been increasing.
- Energy UK has proposed the new support could be paid either partly by energy bills or entirely by government funding.
- Last year, the UK government spent about £40 billion to help households with high energy prices during the biggest recent price spike.
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