but we are going to get back on top of it, ready for this winter. so that s all we can do, yeah. thomas and his partner jenny are both nurses, and they are on a prepayment meter. it s going to be the same this year, and obviously we are worried about it. we are thinking ahead. like, we have got a sort of plan financially, especially with the mortgage on top. i mean, we are on a good wage, me and my partner, so i feel sorry for the people who are getting paid minimum wage. that s the people who i am sort of thinking about coming into this winter. today s announcement limits the gas and electricity unit prices which energy companies are allowed to charge almost all households in britain, and the cap is going down but not by much. so a year and a half ago, people were paying around £1,200 a yearfor their bills, but then gas per unit in the market was about 50% of the sort of prices we are seeing this winter, and that is why prices still remain high. because we are not getting that extr
their electric and gas. and today s small drop in energy prices isn t going to change that, so plenty of people have been taking things into their own hands to try and get ahead. thomas and jenny from liverpool are on a prepayment meter and spent £800 on insulation this year to try and cut their bills. we are planning ahead, or trying to. but with the mortgage and the cost of living going up, it s going to be sort of quite tight for us. because we are not getting that extra government support this year, that £66 in monthly payments, despite this small drop in price, what we are all paying out this winter is going to feel just as tough as last year. and there s another reason bills will not feel cheaper for many. all the standing charge on the meters all went up across the board. i don t think there was any need for that to go up. the regulator says that
while standing charges are expected to rise, so many people will see little difference to their bills. our cost of living correspondent, colletta smith has been speaking to families at a theme park in warrington. with bills racking up on all sides, there has been one relief this summer holiday. i would say probably, because we ve had quite a hot spring and summer, haven t we, so i think that s helped. we ve not needed to have the heating on. i know there s quite a few of our friends who are really struggling to pay their electric and gas. and today s small drop in energy prices isn t going to change that, so plenty of people have been taking things into their own hands to try and get ahead. thomas and jenny from liverpool are on a prepayment meter and spent £800 on insulation this year to try and cut their bills. we are planning ahead, or trying to. but with the mortgage and the energy bills and the cost of living going up, it s going to be sort of quite tight for us.
i am worried about and adding an extra layer of complication, but i am going to do it. remember, these charges are all about england, wales and scotland, and how you pay, this is something you can do something about. how you pay depends on what you paid. forsome about. how you pay depends on what you paid. for some people, they will still be paying every three months on standard credit, often by check, thatis on standard credit, often by check, that is £120 a year more expensive thanif that is £120 a year more expensive than if you pay by direct debit, windows charges are smoothed out over the year. there are lots of people who do not have that option and have a prepayment meter, they will pay slightly more than those on direct debit. all these charges in the mix, if you like, and i m afraid it s a case of sitting down, looking at your charges, looking at what you pay, budgeting accordingly, you haven t turned the heating on yet.