Chinanews.com, December 28. According to a report by "Lianhe Zaobao" on the 28th, the UK was plunged into severe cold due to the arctic storm, and the temperature dropped sharply below freezing point. However, because of the high energy prices, many people did not turn on the heating at home in order to save electricity bills. Can sit in a cold and damp house.
According to reports, the British non-profit organization "National Energy Action" estimates that as many as 6.7 million households in the UK fall into "fuel poverty", that is, these households will have income below the poverty line after paying energy bills.
The British government plans to spend 25 billion pounds (about 210.009 billion yuan) this winter to cap energy prices, but the average household will still face gas and electricity bills of 2,500 pounds a year on average, more than double the past year.
Local charity organizations said that during this period, they received many calls for help from the public, but they could not cope with the number.
“Compared to a year or so ago, it’s kind of unimaginable how many more people are struggling with their energy bills now,” said Peter Sumby, community director for the nonprofit National Energy Action.
It took a 72-year-old man in the UK several days to get through the helpline of a local charity organization "Warm and Well" in England.
The organization provides advice and emergency funding to people unable to pay their energy bills.
The person in charge revealed that since September, the charitable organization has helped more than 2,600 families, 1,000 more families than last year.
They have received nearly 9,000 calls for help since April.
Nearly a quarter of respondents to an ONS survey this month said it had been difficult to keep their living room warm, while a third said reducing heating would harm their health.