Heat & Eat - how you can tackle cost of living crisis

‘Heat & Eat - fight the cost of living crisis’ is our newly-launched community campaign for a better tomorrow for our audience. The crusade, following recent JPIMedia Keep Us Warm This Winter drive that won support from opposition leader Keir Starmer among others, highlights current heating or eating dilemmas, why such cash-strapped cost of living choices arose and what solutions can now best address issues involved.

CHANGE IS coming, and not in a good way. Rising costs will affect households across the UK in coming months due to several factors, and it’s clear that many people - already stretched to the limit with their finances, will struggle to get by. Inflation is set to grow swiftly, with the Bank of England predicting a rise to six per cent.

There will be tax rises too as National Insurance contributions go up due to a 1.25 per cent health and social care levy, to be directed towards helping the NHS.

Food prices are rising at their fastest pace since August 2020.

Figures from data firm Kantar confirm grocery inflation recently rose to 2.1 per cent, the highest rate since retailers cut promotions amid COVID restrictions.

Supply chains remain under pressure from factors including the pandemic and continuing shortage of lorry drivers.

Retail and hospitality groups previously warned MPs inflationary pressures could continue for months ahead.

Energy bills will zoom up as demand for oil and gas continues to grow. A price cap for gas and electricity tariffs, introduced in the UK in January 2019, is set to rise dramatically in February’s sixmonthly

review, to come in to effect in April. Energy prices could go up by as much as 50 per cent.

The government claims some mitigation with its Warm Home Discount - a one off winter payment of £140, and the winter fuel payment for pensioners. But experts say these fall far short of what is needed to help people meet living costs. Petrol and diesel too continue to rise in price, stretching motorists’ pockets. Rail travellers will see fares go up by 3.8 per cent in March.

Will workers’ wages rise in line with all the assaults upon their earnings? It’s highly unlikely. The minimum wage is set to improve slightly, however, and state pensions increase by 3.1 per cent from April.

A cost of living crisis does indeed loom, and it’s time to take stock of spending in any way possible.

The forthcoming changes inevitably mean that a larger proportion of the population will join those who even now face the choice of food or fuel - stretching their cash to pay for heating or for eating, but unable to afford both basic needs.

So how can you save money and reduce expenditure in the face of oncoming energy price hikes?

The first thing to do is assess how well your home is insulated. There may be grant help available in some cases.

Benefits of good insulation include ...

■ Increased warmth retention with less use of heat energy: In winter, living rooms should be

21°C for comfort. ■ Bills are reduced as less energy is needed to warm the building.

■ A lower risk of damp or mould, neither of which is wanted in any home, as it’s a health risk.

■ Decreasing our carbon footprint. The Energy

Saving Trust says an average household generates 2,745kg of

CO2 from heating, which is 31 per cent of total UK emissions.