What does the price cap announcement mean for disabled people?

Ofgem has announced it will be increasing the energy price cap by 80 per cent from 1 October. This means average household energy bills will hit £3,459 a year.

That’s a £2,182 increase since this time last year.

The price cap limits the amount energy companies can charge people for energy for each unit. It has almost trebled since last October.

We’ve known this was coming for a long time, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

It’s an astronomical amount which many people simply won’t be able to pay.

The increase in gas prices is equal to the price of a pint of beer going up to £25, as one energy industry leader said this week

Prices are only capped by the unit, not the total bill amount.

This means disabled people who need to use a lot of energy will be racking up bills which are even higher.

Disabled people can't cut back these extra costs.

This is energy for powered wheelchairs to get around.

Hoists to get in and out of bed.

Heating to keep warm when you can’t regulate your body temperature.

Breathing machines to keep you alive.

Many feel they are being punished for needing extra energy.

What’s the impact for disabled people?

We know disabled people have already been cutting back for months, and many have nothing left to cut back.

Scope is hearing from disabled people making choices nobody should ever have to make.

• Turning off their fridge.
• Only eating cold food.
• Turning off personal alarms, which are vital in case someone falls or needs help.
• Going without food so their children can eat.
• Not being able to afford food to take medicine with.
• Racking up thousands of pounds of debt and arrears.
• Letting personal assistants go, putting their own safety and independence at risk.

That’s now, in the summer. Before the price cap increase has even hit, and when bills are traditionally at their lowest.

What does the government think disabled people are going to cut back on this winter?

What is Scope doing to tackle the crisis?

We want disabled people and their families to know we understand how tough this crisis is. We understand how worried you are. We are here to support you.

Anyone can contact our free helpline, or our Disability Energy Support service, which offers free energy and water advice to disabled people.

We also have lots of resources online with tips and advice.

Our online community is a safe space where you can connect with others feeling the same concerns.

The only thing which can solve this problem is intervention from government.

That intervention needs to be significant and immediate.

That's why we will be relentlessly campaigning for the government to act.

What do we want from the government?

This is an emergency. We need an emergency response from the Government matching the gravity of the situation.

They must intervene now, to provide more support to disabled people directly, or to freeze the cap.

It’s clear the support package announced a few months ago isn’t going to touch the sides.

In September, a one-off £150 will go to people who receive non-means tested benefits. These include Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

But when your energy bills alone cost £300 a month, how much difference will £150 make?

We’ve been calling for government to double the support package, at the very least.

We also want the government to explore a discounted tariff for disabled customers.

This would help stop disabled people who need more energy being penalised.

Talk to us

If you are affected by this, we’re here to help.

Our teams are available to discuss your situation, and suggest possible ways you can access support.

For energy-specific concerns, please contact our Disability Energy Support service.

If you have other concerns, or need information, advice, or emotional support, please contact our helpline team.