‘WORRYING’ figures which reveal Barnsley households are paying 40 per cent more to heat properties than before the winter set in just two years ago must be addressed as a matter of urgency, it has been warned.
The energy price cap rose by ten per cent on October 1, which resulted in Energy Secretary Ed Miliband saying Ofgem’s decision will concern those who are already in the depths of the cost-of-living crisis.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero data shows the average household in Barnsley used 2,274 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 9,570 kWh of gas to fuel their homes in 2022.
One kWh would run an average oven for around 30 minutes, while the median has been used to exclude extreme values which could skew the average.
Based on the new energy price cap costs, a Barnsley household will pay around £1,492 per year on energy - 42 per cent higher than what a household would expect to pay based on the energy price cap in October 2021 before the cost-of-living crisis set in.
Mr Miliband said the price cap rise was due to the ‘failed energy policy’ his government inherited, which he claims has left the country ‘at the mercy of international gas markets controlled by dictators’.
He added: “The only solution to get bills down and greater energy independence is the government’s mission for clean, homegrown power.
“That’s why we have hit the ground running, lifting the onshore wind ban, consenting unprecedented amounts of solar power and setting the largest-ever budget for our renewables auction.
“We will also do everything in our power to protect bill payers, including by reforming the regulator to make it a strong consumer champion, working to make standing charges fairer, and a proper ‘Warm Homes Plan’ to save families money.”
It comes after Barnsley’s Labour-controlled council was slammed by the Liberal Democrats for ‘not going far enough’ to lobby the government about the winter fuel payment changes.
The council vowed to stand by its worst-off residents - but local Lib Dem leader Coun Hannah Kitching said Labour will have ‘blood on its hands’ if excess deaths figures climb.
She warned more needs to happen - as a matter of urgency - as more than 30,000 in the town will miss out on the £300 payment.
“It is a depressing, soul-crushing period we find ourselves in and the new Labour government’s honeymoon period is over - this is a lifeline for so many in the winter months.
“It was good to hear the council leader (Sir Steve Houghton) saying he will stand up to help locally with the hardship fund, but it doesn’t go far enough and the motion put forward is a timid one.
“It is an insult and it is a kick in the teeth from a government that promised to be different.”
Andy Manning, head of energy policy at Citizens’ Advice, added: “With record levels of energy debt, the removal of previous support and changes to the eligibility of the winter fuel payment, people are in desperate need.
“The government must urgently introduce a targeted bill support that reflects the realities of people’s energy needs.”
