NPower price rise and Wales Together
Published on 21 October 2013 10:30 AM
Commenting on a 10.4% price increase for its dual-fuel customers announced today by NPower and the launch of the Wales Together scheme, Age Cymru's Director of Influencing and Programme Development Victoria Lloyd says:
"This news from NPower clearly demonstrates that we're in the middle of the annual pre-winter price increases that we've now come to expect from the major energy suppliers.
"Energy price rises add more pressure on the already stretched household budgets of homes up and down the land, especially those who are on a low, fixed-income.
"Cold temperatures can have a detrimental effect on the health of groups such as older people and keeping warm is essential for good health and wellbeing, especially during the winter months.
"With no sign of this pattern of price rises changing, these market conditions are obviously encouraging people to seek out ways of getting cheaper energy such as the Wales Together scheme.
"Communities working together to get cheaper energy is not an entirely new idea.
"Age Cymru has heard over the years of communities that are off the mains gas supply around Wales buying heating oil in bulk.
"They use their combined buying power to bring down the price they pay suppliers for heating oil, which is the concept being mirrored by Wales Together.
"Age Cymru will be watching with development great interest because we may find that if the idea spreads across Wales, communities clubbing together to buy their energy could well become the norm."
ENDS