‘A BILL FREEZE IS BEST SOLUTION’
RACHEL SMITH is relying on a bill freeze to help her through the winter.
She has already seen her energy bills soar to more than £400 a month and, without intervention, they could rocket by another £320.
The jewellery business owner, 40, and her partner Stuart, 39, have to provide for their three young children: Zac, two, Ruby, four and Owen, six.
The family have already started rationing hot water during bath times in order to keep a hold on the bills for their four-bedroom end terrace in Somerset.
And they have also installed a smart meter to keep track of their daily energy costs.
But with a household income of just £ 30,000 Rachel and her family are part of the ‘squeezed middle’ who are facing increasing budget pressures.
She says: ‘I think a lot of people just do not understand how difficult it will
end up being in the winter if bills do increase.
‘I think a bill freeze which everyone pays for over the next 20 years would be the best solution overall.’