Eighty percent of low income households are worried about energy bills

This winter, Citizens Advice is offering record levels of support to vulnerable people who are struggling with their energy bills. Thirty eight per cent of people told the charity that, before getting help from the programme, they couldn't heat their homes enough to be comfortable.

Energy Best Deal returns this year, a record £5 million pounds will go to fund the project. Extra cash will be used to roll out additional support, which will give tailored, one to one advice to people who are struggling to make ends meet. Energy Best Deal Extra will help people cut the cost of fuel bills, sort out debts, solve benefit problems and help with the search for work.

New figures released today are based on a survey of over 6,000 people who received help from Energy Best Deal, a programme run by Citizens Advice and funded by the energy industry to help people on low incomes cut their fuel bills.

• Four in five people (78 per cent) told Citizens Advice that they were concerned about the cost of their winter fuel bills
• Only one in five (21 per cent) said they were not worried about the cost of heating their home
• 17 per cent said that their fuel bills were 'a strain'
• Over a quarter (26 per cent) said that they were unable to heat their home because of the high cost of fuel
• 12 per cent blamed inefficient heating or homes which leak energy

Citizens Advice Bureaux have helped over 72,000 people with fuel issues in the past year.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of national charity Citizens Advice, said: "No-one should have to face a winter in a cold, dark home .Vulnerable people are risking their well-being because they are anxious about bills. It's extremely worrying that eighty per cent of people on low incomes are concerned about the cost of energy.

"Many people feel like they have no choice but to cut their energy use if they need to reduce their bills, but there is other action you can take. That's why we're running Energy Best Deal to make sure that people aren't paying a penny more than they need to for fuel this winter. We'll be out and about in local communities throughout the winter helping people to make sure that they are getting the best deal, avoiding waste and making the most of the help available from the energy industry and the Government."

115 CAB in England and Wales and 21 CAB in Scotland will run workshops to help people cut their bills. Last year three quarters of people took action to cut their bills after attending a workshop. Forty three per cent of people who attended a workshop said that they had contacted their supplier to get a better deal, 27 per cent applied for help through the Warm Homes Discount, ECO or the Green Deal and 28 per cent said they would pass on their knowledge to help friends and family save.