Who cares for the carers? Informal carers struggling with higher energy bills

The UK’s dedicated army of informal carers, who help to look after vulnerable friends or family members with very little or no financial support, are struggling with their energy bills, according to new data from Uswitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.

As Carers Week 2018 gets underway, an estimated 4.9 million people in the UK are now acting as informal carers, providing support that is not part of a paid job. Juggling the twin demands of caring and working, many informal carers end up using more gas and electricity while having less income to pay for it, leaving them in a precarious position when it comes to their bills.

The research found that on average, informal carers who live with the person they care for pay £176 more on their energy bills every year than other bill payers. So, it is perhaps no surprise that almost four in ten (38%) have struggled to pay their energy bills. Worryingly, more than one in ten (13%) have even been pushed into debt as a direct result of paying their utility bills, and over a third (34%) have at times chosen not to put the heating on because they couldn’t afford it – potentially to the detriment of their health or the person they care for.

The needs of the people they look after are a major factor in informal carers’ above average energy bills. Almost three quarters (73%) say they need to keep the heating on for longer than they would otherwise, which inevitably increases the size of the bill. Furthermore, specialist electrical equipment such as stair lifts or charging electric wheelchairs use additional electricity, with an average of two such devices in each informal carer’s home.

To make life even harder, balancing the demands of caring with employment is a challenge. Informal carers spend an average of over 10 hours per day looking after someone, with nearly half (45%) admitting that this makes it difficult to work full time.

Among informal carers who have previously struggled with their energy bills, almost half (45%) have dipped into their savings to pay them, while others have either used their overdrafts (22%) or paid on a credit card (19%). More broadly, informal carers have also sacrificed other elements of their life in order to make sure they have enough money to cover the heating bills, with socialising (34%), holidays (31%), takeaways (30%) and clothing (26%) all being cut back.

Despite these struggles, almost half (45%) of informal carers, who live with the person they care for, receive absolutely no government benefits at all. Less than a quarter (24%) receive the Carers Allowance of up to £64.60 a week (although receipt of the Carers Allowance can affect other benefits). A slightly higher percentage (28%) receive the Winter Fuel Allowance of between £100 and £300 which is only available to people aged 65 and over, and only 14% receive the £140 Warm Home Discount.

Uswitch.com believes that more targeted support for vulnerable households is needed. As a first step, the Warm Home Discount should be extended to include all energy suppliers. A recent study by the Social Market Foundation found that vulnerable households are staying on poor value tariffs out of fear of losing their Warm Home Discount if they switch – potentially condemning them to higher bills while not allowing them to take advantage of competitive prices.

Furthermore, eligibility for the Warm Home Discount should be standardised and simplified – eligible households should be automatically enrolled rather than having to apply. Energy customers should not have to pour over complicated technical jargon to find out whether they can receive the benefits they are entitled to. The “core” and “broader” groups who receive the rebate should be merged in order to simplify the process and make eligibility decisions more straightforward.

Claire Osborne, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Uswitch is proud to support Carers Week to recognise the enormous contributions carers make to families and communities throughout the UK, and also to raise awareness of the support on offer to them.

“The UK’s many dedicated carers are at a disadvantage when it comes to their household bills. Spending more time at home looking after family or friends, many of whom use specialist equipment to help manage their condition, often means using extra gas and electricity which bumps up energy costs.

“It’s vital that we care for our carers. Government proposals to share data to help energy suppliers identify and support vulnerable individuals are a big step forward. But Uswitch is also calling for the support system to be made more effective. By automatically enrolling eligible households in the Warm Home Discount rather than making them apply, and by requiring all energy suppliers to pay it rather than just the largest, vulnerable customers will be able to access the cheapest tariffs without fear of losing financial support.”

Supplier support for vulnerable customers

You can find out how to get help paying your bills in our Uswitch guide, while many energy suppliers also offer support to vulnerable customers in other ways.

Customers who have a serious medical condition, who are in a vulnerable situation, or who have additional communication needs are eligible for help through their energy supplier’s Priority Services Register. Either they or their carer can register in order to access services such as advance notification of a planned power cut, or priority help in an emergency such as an interruption to supply. To register, you or your carer simply need to contact your energy supplier. You can find out more details here.

British Gas runs a programme to support customers with Dementia and offers those requiring extra support the opportunity to join its Priority Services Register. The British Gas Energy Trust also helps clear energy debts for customers who are struggling and pays for new energy efficient appliances.

E.ON provides benefit entitlement checks and access to hardship funds for customers whom it identifies as potentially vulnerable.

EDF Energy identifies customers who may require help and can offer referrals to partners like IncomeMax, or to the EDF Energy Trust Fund which has helped to lift thousands of customers out of arrears and the debt cycle. Eligible customers can be added to their Priority Services Register to access additional services including different bill formats, gas safety checks and a direct number into a specialist team for help.

npower’s Macmillan Fund offers support to people living with cancer by capping energy bills and writing off debt. They also have a Health Through Warmth scheme that gives assistance to vulnerable people with long term health conditions and inadequate heating or insulation – they don’t even have to be npower customers to access Health Through Warmth.

ScottishPower runs a hardship fund to help customers who may have difficulties paying their bills.

SSE offer discounts on loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and new A-rated condensing gas boilers if customers meet certain criteria.

First Utility’s customers can receive alerts about their best deals and energy saving advice through their ‘My Energy’ service. First Utility also supports customers going through difficult times by arranging payment plans and connecting them with Step Change – a debt charity that can offer further independent support and advice.

Ovo runs a fund to help its customers who are behind on their energy payments and need help getting out of debt.

Top tips for households to keeps energy costs down

Read your meter: Uswitch research found that more than a fifth of households don’t submit regular energy meter readings to their supplier, risking inaccurate bills. Once they provided a reading, two thirds of Brits found that they were owed £161 on average

Bleed your radiators: Trapped air in radiators stops them working efficiently. If there are cold spots on your radiators, particularly at the top, it’s a sign they need bleeding. This releases the air and ensures your heating system is working to its full potential.

Lower the temperature: around 90% of a washing machine’s energy expenditure is spent on heating the water, so the lower the temperature, the more money you save. And if it’s safe to do so, turning your thermostat down by 1 degree Celsius can save you as much as £85 per year.

Standby savings: Switch off the tech; leaving televisions and games consoles on permanent standby costs £45-80 a year and we waste nearly £29m per year in this country by leaving our phone chargers switched on even though we’re not charging our phones.

Go green: Switch the energy saving settings on for your TV, computer, games consoles and any other devices – and make sure you turn them off properly when you’re not using them. They’ll use a third less energy this way. Three quarters of us (76%) leave appliances on standby, wasting a whopping £227m per year.

Water pressure: A high-pressure power shower is a great luxury to have but you’d be surprised how much hot water they use – sometimes even more than a bath.

Energy saving: Lighting can account for as much as 20% of your electricity bill. Installing five low energy light bulbs will cost about £15 and could save you as much as £32 a year. LED bulbs are the most energy efficient – they use up to 90% less energy, and can last up to 50,000 hours (that’s over five and a half years if left on continuously).

Insulation: Insulating your home is one of the best ways to reduce your energy bills and make your house warmer and more comfortable. There are grants available from some energy suppliers under a scheme called the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO), you must meet certain criteria to qualify and more information is available from suppliers’ websites.

Chimneys: Unused chimneys are another common way for heat to escape. If you still use your chimney, then a removable chimney balloon can be used to prevent excess heat being lost at times you don’t have the fire on. If you don’t use your chimney at all, consider having it capped by a professional.

Windows: Draught-proofing strips work well around windows. Draughts can also emerge from cracks between the window frames and the surrounding walls. If this is the case, try using either sealant or putty to close up the gaps.

Doors: Draught-proofing strips are also useful between doors and their frames, both internally as well as externally. For gaps between the bottom of the door and the floor, you can buy a special ‘brush’ or hinged flap draught excluder.

Timed extractor fan: If you have an extractor fan in your bathroom or kitchen without a timer, you run the risk of leaving it on unnecessarily, which can chill your whole house. A timed extractor fan will shut off automatically and remove this risk.

A radiator shelf: A shelf positioned just above a radiator helps to throw heat forward into the room, rather than letting it rise to the ceiling. Most hardware and DIY shops will stock purpose-made shelves which clip easily onto most radiators.

Disused vents: If you upgrade your boiler, it’s likely to have a balanced flue, meaning you no longer need an air-brick in an external wall with the boiler. If you seal up any disused vents you can stop valuable heat from escaping.

Curtains: Curtains are great at preventing heat loss. You can buy heavy-duty curtains, or thermal lining for your existing ones, for extra insulation. But try not to let your curtains hang over any radiators, as this can stop the heat from warming the room.

Switch: Switching energy supplier can save you up to £491 but to make sure you don’t run the risk of losing your Warm Home Discount you can call the Uswitch call centre on 0800 6888 557 and we’ll check the details for you.

Carers Week 2018 is helping carers remain healthy and connected with their communities. For more information and advice visit www.carersweek.org

Uswitch will be supporting a series of events for carers through our Community Engagement team throughout Carers Week 2018:

11 June: Carers Week, Islington

12 June: Health & Information day, Hammersmith & Fulham Carers

13 June: Carers Support Services, Redbridge

14 June: Carers Week, Westminster

15 June: Carers Week, Reigate and Banstead

17 June: A Life Alongside Caring, Birmingham

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Tim Dunford

Phone: 020 3872 5612

Mobile: 07785 552666

Email: tim.dunford@uswitch.com

Twitter: @uswitchPR

Notes to editors

Research was conducted online by Opinium between 9th and 15th March 2018, among 238 informal carers who live with the person they care for and are bill payers, and 2,001 bill payers who are non carers.

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