Energy crisis: UK fuel poverty forcing people to food banks 

All while the Tories allowed British Gas’s profits to increase 900% last year. Maybe we should stop energy companies profiteering off the backs of working people, and then people wouldn’t be soo poor? Is that really such a crazy idea?

*I'm 50 years old and living in Germany Berlin🇩🇪 I'm willing to retire at 55 if things keep going the way I planned bought my first house last week I'm glad I made a productive decision that has changed my life forever can't be more proud that I'm right now*

British Gas's profits have increased 943% within a single year. They could lower the prices and still make a killing. Pure greed.

Government help with bills is just using your taxes to pay energy companies. It’s making the country poorer and energy companies richer.

I dislike the term fuel poverty, once upon a time ago my gas was no more than £20 a week, now it is £1 an hour to heat my home, and I now no longer heat my home with gas. Electric blanks, hot water bottles, warm clothes, warmer food and more exericising, and I have slashed my energy bills by doing this. This isn't about fuel poverty it is about EXPENSIVE fuel prices.

Standing charges are high whether you use power or not

When I was in UK. I saw empty boarded up streets under a constant grey sky, litter everywhere. Homeless people sleeping in doorways. A women with cat whiskers makeup casually walking into Tesco with her pajamas. Opioid addicts out of their mind and women so drunk they urinated on the streets. It's a sad declined country.

British Gas profits increased ten fold in 2023 to £750 million. With a stat like this, it is not hard to find the reason for increasing fuel poverty in the UK: profiteering by the energy companies that is being encouraged by their supine and complicit regulator, OfGem

This is a disgrace. We as UK citizens should be ashamed.

British Gas Profit Increase by 943%. Price gouging by the energy suppliers as wholesale gas prices went down to pre corvid prices. Don't forget the big increases in standing charges for this year!😪

Denmark here 🇩🇰 Either you accept the system and nothing happens. Or you go to the streets and make the whole country come to a complete halt. Yes, there will be victims. But I see no other way. Individualizing the problem is a problem in itself. When you take away the personal shame and turn it into open protest, that's the first step. I am poor and I am proud.

look at British Gas profits disgrace Enough GE

When people have to unplug their refrigerators to conserve you have a huge problem.

We've had a very mild winter. Can't imagine what the statistics would look like if we had a cold one.

as a foreigner watching this I am very surprise to see what is happening in the U.K. I hope a turn around happens for many people .

I wanted to go in England to work but seeing this is discouraging.

I'm in the US. This is the first month where if I pay all of the utilities, there is zero money for food.

Me too. Energy bill is now crazy. I was paying £60-70 on energy before ukraine war but today i’m paying £130 . Even when I try not to use any energy! I am poor

Ten years ago my electric was about £17 a month. It is now at least £60. It has more than tripled in that time. It has doubled since 2020.

Pure greed

Nationalize all utilities

Just got by gas and electricity bill for this quarter. My eyes popped out of my head and I work as a full time prosecution lawyer so its not just the people living below minimum wage. The energy companies are taking the abolute p#ss to put it mildly. Our government are doing nothing about it which is what makes this a travesty.

I don't get it. The price of natural gas has tanked reaching record lows. Why is energy so expensive in the UK? Sorry, I am a Canadian so don't have much knowledge of the circumstances in the UK.

The fuel wouldn't be a problem if the rent wasn't so high! The cost of housing in this country is ridiculous. Such a huge percentage of our pay just evaporating instantly.

Everything is in a state of decline! It's a disgrace!

This is heartbreaking. Alot of the pensioners today grew up in poverty in 1950’s. 21 st. Century should not be like this. Council tax and water rates still going up as well gas and electricity.

We are suffering £80 per week on gas and £30 on electricity there no joy in life and set to get worse from April!!when does it end cant keep up !!😢😢

In Eastern Europe the people live much better in a country where the GDP is much worse

Shell BP,22 billions in profits20 22,23,definitely time for a windfall tax.😡

I work part time. And get zero help what so ever Its shocking.

This is disgusting in this day and age where moving backwards instead of moving forwards😢

As far as modern countries go, the UK is so so bad now. Like what a mess it is haha, its one of the most poorly run modern countries ever. The greed that is here is staggering. Where can you even leave to? We have no other home.

Sorry for the people who are down and low.❤

Luckily for me I have savings at the moment. I try to use as little energy as possible but the constant increase in standing charges keeps my bills higher than they should be. I am seriously considering going off grid and getting the energy companies to remove their meters from my house. I think it’s time to bite the bullet as energy prices and standing charges will only continue to rise due to rip off net zero madness.

Vote REFORM Party people and we can change this dire situation.

if u have the money to get out the uk leave now before it gets worse

Absolutely disgusting

It's not the energy crisis, energy costs are lower, it's the food crisis, with real food inflation at least 14%, when you include shrinkflation!

The U.K. is self sufficient in oil and gas from our own reserves yet the government allows us to pay more than world prices for our own fuel. Imagine the industry and wealth we'd have if we had our own fuel at cost. Steel mills, ship yards, car manufacturers and a consumer boom. We'd be booming. Obviously the government in the U.K. is not run for the benefit of the people.

This is happening everywhere, not only UK. Who has an interest to make people poorer and why?

Greedy energy and grocery stores have record profits

Crazy how can this be I see really nice cars getting free food

A game of musical chairs as the wealthy get richer and the rest run in place faster to try and pay bills, with no chairs left for those that can't keep up. Not just in the UK but in the US as well. I've been wondering if the clock is ticking down on modern civilization. Because if regular people can't afford to pay their bills, society will at some point collapse.

Boris and the Tories did this after they stopped a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. You remember that

Essentials should not be used as commodities for the privileged to invest in, ie food, medicines, gas, electricity, and water.

Fight! people of the UK... fight mentally as well! Don't let them make you feel guilty and then force you to the food banks, there are people in the UK that spend on grooming their dogs and on buying their children shoes more than many families spend to survive.

So many people abuse food banks now. I've seen people take food when no one's looking or lie about having more family members. Some work and make thousands but still use it because free is free.

Yes the low income worker or Pensioner gets poorer whilst those on large wages get richer. It is a manmade scandal all over this world. Lots of love to all those struggling through no fault of their own.

And standing outside on expensive mobile phones, going home to their subscription tv's, etc. I lived in times when food banks were not around, and we lived hand to mouth in the fifties, no luxuries, as now

and people don;t talk about the rising expense of choosing to have kids, cars and dogs with their very expensive vets bills.

I’ve turned mine off at the fuse box- £1ph when heating is on and about £2.50 just having the contraption on. I refuse to put it on. £175 in one week last year. I double duvet double hot water bottles and I use one room with a fan heater for ten minutes a day. If we all stopped using the heating then they loose big profits anyway.

2 bedroom semidetached £120 in the coldest month. After covid £230 in the same conditions.

They spend 10% of their income on energy bills after rent. Here in the USA I'm spending 25% of my income on energy bills.

This is what happens when you have 15 years of complete wage stagnation, we’re all still poorer than we were back in 2008. Jobs do not pay enough to live off here and we’re going to become like America where you need to have at least two jobs to survive. Couple the ideological fanaticism of the Tories decimating the Welfare State and it’s a disaster. Starmer’s Labour will be no better either.

Time to start a new company that provides the same service, but at crazy lower prices.

EVERY SMART PERSON KNOWS IF YOU DROP ENERGY PRICES IT WUD STAMP OUT POVERTY AS HAS KNOCK ON EFFECT IN PRODUCTION OF FOOD AND WORKS DOWN THE CHAIN , ENERGY COMPANIES ARE TO BLAME FOR POVERTY 🤬🤬

While oil and gas companies are bragging about profit

Net Zero Heat. Net Zero Food.

£300 a month? That sounds a lot! I think he needs to start just heating the rooms he uses. That's what I do, I wear lots of layers and just turn the heating on in one room.

Here in Philadelphia I cry for Britain

It seems like a hugely helpful thing would be for the British government to subsidize replacing heating systems with ones that use much less fuel/energy. And insulating homes better.

I think England should remove the 3 Lions from the flag and replace it with some sheeple.

Plenty of money for vapes and tabs no money for food. I've seen people smoking outside these sort of places

My second winter in the cold .sick of greedflation

Some time last year my bills went from £200 a month to about £1000. Eventually the money was given back to me. My latest bill has gone that way as well if fact its even larger. I think part of the game been played is to force me to get a smart meter. So far i have refused because there seems to be on going problem with the meters.

Did the Brexit dream not help bring energy costs down?

Public transport, Council tax, Gas & Electricity are all a massive rip off in the UK, at least the supermarkets are pretty good...

Blame Charles for that. His WEF campaign against fossil fuels is causing the "heating vs eating crisis".

Welcome to tory Britain

There is a price to pay for Net Zero.

Energy BILLS 300 pounds a Month?? Mine is only 100 here in Florida, and I have a big 1500 sq ft condo!

Abolish standing charges. Bought a log burner and don't use gas anymore. Its like "Haha, we can still get you!"

My energy bills are more than mortgage a month and I’m not being dramatic or kidding it’s a fucking joke.

This is annoying me, the that will smoke, drink, have sky or virgin media, the latest mobile. Annoys me. They won’t give those up. I am visiting in the UK at moment and the amount of self entitlement is unreal. Why should I ! One ex friend told me even though they asked to lend them 1000. Help yourself first. If you can’t afford you can’t have it, I’m 48 and I was brought up like that, but everyone now seems to live on credit now. Take some responsibility for yourself instead of relying on others and blaming the government, they don’t make you spend money. The mind boogies it really does

When essentials like gas and housing are investments don't be surprised when the average person can't afford it

It’s not any better here in my city. Gas and electric are rising and now the consumers have to pay bonuses for them

UK has become a middle income country

I'm 75 and have drastically reduced my consumption. The people who can just aren't willing to cut down. The price of energy governs the amount I use. The more they put it up the less I use.

Europe has much lower costs on energy prices and better pensions too

I used to pay 70 a month back in 2019 now I am paying 170 and don’t use heating anymore, just the basics as hot shower and cooking. Hot bottles and electric blanket is my new normal. Shame UK government

Fund the wars!

All by design

British gas profits have gone from 70million to 700 million......in one year 😊

Shocking this country absolutely terrible

I’d put ceiling fans in all homes to help if I could 😁

Price of Brexit.

Thank you Sunak

At least it was fairly easy to live abroad around europe. Cant even do that now. Thanks alot

Out of curiosity, how does the food bank work? Can you just roll up and use it without any kind of checks? If not, then what's to stop a well off person using it?

Its called tory Britain there motto shift working people

Them cost of living payment were a joke.

UK is slowly becoming a Welfare state. Everyone is on the Benifits from young to oldish (60s). Thats the number one job in the UK to be on the benifits.

I do think people are irresponsible. I had to have 2 years off due to health issues. It took a long time to process the right disability allowances, in fact almost a year. So for that year I had to budget with what I had. It really was a struggle, but the cost of fuel really is nothing. I could look across at the council estate and see single mum's living on benefits, smoking and drinking gin on their steps all day and night, then you go talk to them and they're claiming they're in the same boat as me and struggling. Half these ladies can't even cook their own meals so get takeaways every day, they all had nicer more modern phones than me. Honestly, how many of these people tell their children the heating can't go on, but they know the taste of McDonald's every other day. This is actually why, despite being extremely conservative and not wanting government to pry, I think banking being looked at would shine a light on a lot of these people and their incompetence.

Talk talk talk so they know the problem but nothing ever gets done if this carries on the uk will go under

Every country has the government it deserves - Joseph de Maistre

It’s just a vicious cycle 🥺

I don't understand I can live on £444 a month and don't need anything from anyone

Permently cap all energy bills and never move the cap up and then bring in global proportional representation and socialism

But why prices are so high last year? What the main reason?

EDF charging over the odds no wonder. Glad I went to citizens advice and then the energy ombudsman. Big help many thanks x❤