Age Scotland comment on Ofgem price cap increase

Ofgem has announced a 6.4% increase of the energy price cap from April, meaning the average household will see their annual bill rise by £111 a year.

Age Scotland’s Policy Director, Adam Stachura, said:

“This latest energy price cap increase is higher than expected and will be a source of real anxiety for older people, many of whom have faced the toughest winter in years without their Winter Fuel Payment.

“In fact, 75% of those aged 66+ said that their homes are colder than they would like them to be.

“A worrying 40% of pensioners also said that they had recently cut back on heating or powering their home, so news that bills are set to rise further will put struggling older households in an extremely difficult position.

“While the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide some much-needed respite next winter, we’re still concerned that £100 won’t be enough for those on low and modest incomes. Especially as there seems to be no end in sight to energy price rises. We would urge the government to keep looking at what more they can do to bridge the gap.”