News Categories
Other stories in Electricity
- Steve Smith quits Ofgem and joins High Street bank
- First offshore transmission operators announced
- ETI seeks partners to develop energy storage
- Drax Power anounces output and earnings on the up
- Reactor firms start Wylfa work
Tagcloud
abstraction, AEP, anaerobic digestion, Anglian Water, Australasia, Benelux, BG Group, bil, billing, bills, biomass, Bristol Water, British Energy, British Gas, budget, Business Stream, call centres, carbon, carbon capture, CCWater, Centrica, CHP, climate change, coal, competition, complaints, connections, Conservatives, Consumer Focus, consumer research, cost of capital, credit crunch, customers, Cyprus, Czech Republic, debt, Decc, Defra, defra, Denmark, Department of Energy and Climate Change, distributed generation, Dong, drainage, Drax, Drinking Water Inspectorate, drought, e, Eastern Europe, eco-towns, economy, Ed Miliband, EDF, EDF Energy, effic, Efficiency, efficiency, electricity, electricity distribution, electricity generation, electricity retail, electricity transmission, Eligible households should automatically get £80 refund on energy bill, emergencies, emissions, emissions trading, ENA, Enel, Energy, energy, energy distribution, energy efficiency, energy generation, energy policy, energy retail, Energy retail, energy security, energy services, energy storage, energy suppliers, energy supply, energy transmission, engineering, Eni, environment, Environment Agency, Eon, ERA, ESB, Essent, Eurelectric, Europe, European Commission, European Union, finance, Finland, flooding, France, fuel poverty, gas, gas distribution, gas retail, gas storage, gas supply, gas transmission, gas transport, Gazprom, GDF Suez, geothermal, Germany, health and safety, Heat, heat, hom, hometop, Iberdrola, ice, industrial relations, infrastructure, Infrastructure Planning Commission, innovation, interruptions, IP, Ireland, Italy, jobs, leakage, legal, LNG, maintenance, metering, Morrison, MPs, National Grid, NEA, Netherlands, NI Water, NIAUR, NIE, NIE Energy, Nordic, Northern Gas Networks, Northern Ireland, Northumbrian Water, Npower, nuclear, offshore, offshore wind, Ofgem, ofwat, Ofwat, Ombudsman Service, operations, ownership, pan-utility, Parliament, people, planning, po, policy, politcs, politics, pollution, poverty, pri, price review, pricing, protest, quality, re, regulation, renewables, research, Russia, RWE, Scotia Gas Networks, scotland, Scotland, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power, Scottish renewables, Scottish Water, security of supply, selling, Severn Barrage, Severn Trent, Severn Trent Water, sewerage, skills, smart grids, smart metering, smart meters, solar, South West Water, Southern Water, Spain, st, storage, streetworks, sustainability, Switzerland, tariffs, Thames, thames water, Thames Water, trading, unbundling, Unison, United Utilities, utility engineering, Vattenfall, vehicles, Veolia, w, waste management, wastewater, wastewater treatment, water, Water, water @homefeatured, water abstraction, water and energy policy, water distribution, water efficiency, water neutrality, water resources, water retail, water supply, water treatment, water uk, Water UK, weather, Welsh Power, Welsh Water, Wessex Water, Wics, wind, WWU, Yorkshire Water, zero-carbon development
< Gas Natural obtains Zeebrugge permit | Climate camp set up in southeast London >
Pensioners react to higher fuel bills by staying in bed or using less heat
Pensioners have reacted to higher energy prices since 2004 by turning down the heating or staying in bed to save on fuel bills, new research has highlighted.
According to a major new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) although poorer pensioners have increased their spending on domestic fuel by nearly a third between 2004 and 2007 they have reduced their fuel consumption by 7 per cent.
Charities Age Concern and Help the Aged which commissioned the report have warned that further price increases last year will add to the pressure, forcing some to turn down the heating or cut spending in other areas.
Responding, Garry Felgate, chief executive of the Energy Retail Association, said: "The report highlights some important concerns. Energy companies offer a range of help to customers struggling with their energy bills so that no one goes cold in winter.
"If anyone is concerned about their energy bills, or if they want to find out what grants and discounts are available, they should call their energy supplier or the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99."

Comment on this story
Sign up to our free email newsletters