Ofgem is set to announce the level of the energy price cap from January, on Friday 22 November. The cap is currently set at £1,717 per year for a typical household, which National Energy Action estimated leaves 6m UK households in fuel poverty.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued its first yellow cold weather alert this year for the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands. It lasts until 21 November.
According to a statement, this means already struggling low-income and vulnerable households will need to spend even more to keep their homes warm, with millions being forced to ration their heating to dangerous levels.
Peter Smith, National Energy Action’s director of policy and advocacy, said: “With energy bills rising since October and far less support available nationally this winter, millions of people are already rationing their energy use to dangerous levels or getting deeper into debt trying to keep warm. Sadly, even this brief cold spell will be a threat to people’s health and worse and will create further extreme hardship for millions of households.
“On top of the impact from a drop in temperatures, Ofgem will soon confirm the price cap for the remainder of the winter. With increased wholesale prices in the last few months, there won’t be any let up in the unaffordable cost of energy. This means cold weather will continue to have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable people.”