Dozens of neighbourhoods in Brighton and Hove are likely to be among the most badly affected by the energy crisis when the price cap rises in October, a new analysis suggests.
The campaigning charity Friends of the Earth (FoE) said that 30 out of 165 neighbourhoods in Brighton and Hove were at the greatest risk of financial hardship when the price cap rises.
It means that 18 per cent of local neighbourhoods would be among the worst affected areas across England and Wales. In all, nationally, nearly 9,000 areas have been classed as “energy crisis hotspots”.
And FoE said that there was “no downplaying” the catastrophic energy disaster facing millions of people this winter if bills rise as expected without government intervention.
The charity analysed smart meters and unmetered fuel consumption to determine areas where energy use was above normal levels.
It defined neighbourhoods with above-average costs and lower than average household incomes as energy crisis hotspots.
The energy regulator Ofgem is due to announce the new price cap – which will come into effect at the start of October – on Friday (26 August).
The energy market consultancy Cornwall Insights predicted that, after the price cap has risen in October, an average household will pay bills of more than £3,600 a year, significantly more than double the previous £1,400 figure.
From January, this is forecast to further increase to £4,300 and the consultancy expects bills to remain high throughout 2023.
Friends of the Earth urged the government to provide meaningful intervention before the autumn price cap rise instead of the “woeful and poorly targeted cash handouts” announced in April.
FoE’s head of science, policy and research Mike Childs said that the government must “beef up its package of emergency financial support” and protect the most vulnerable from soaring price rises.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said that it was providing support worth £37 billion to help households during the cost of living crisis.
Mr Childs also said that people’s homes must be more effectively insulated to protect consumers against future price rises and reduce the amount of energy required to heat homes in winter.
He said: “The highest priority of all is fixing the UK’s leaky inefficient housing stock, otherwise cash handouts will be required year on year.
“By rolling out a free programme of street-by-street energy-efficiency measures and prioritising the most in-need neighbourhoods, we can help to bring bills down quickly, make homes warmer and slash Earth-warming emissions at the same time.”
In Brighton and Hove, 6,410 homes required cavity wall insulation, according to one estimate, and 5,260 needed loft insulation.
Lots of people are going to make savings to pay. Alcohol cigarettes sky subscriptions new trainers cinema etc. Tough times