Disabled man says he'll heat just one room in his house due to energy price cap

Watch: Energy bills to soar for millions as price cap hiked to £3,549

A disabled man has said he will heat just one room in his home after Ofgem confirmed an 80.06% rise in the energy price cap, sending the average yearly household bill up to more than £3,000.

On Friday the energy regulator confirmed the rise in the cap, which will come into effect on 1 October for around 24 million households in England, Scotland and Wales on default energy tariffs and stay in place until 31 December when it will be adjusted again.

The rise will send the average household’s yearly bill from £1,971 to £3,549, while 4.5 million pre-payment meter customers - often the most vulnerable - could see their average annual bill go up to £3,608.

The hike has prompted fears for those who will not be able to heat their homes this winter.

Read more: Increase in energy price cap is 'terrifying', says head of National Energy Action

Disabled man Jason Alcock said he is likely to have to turn off the radiators in the house and heat only his living room.

The 51-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent, who has autism, ADHD and bipolar disorder, said he was "shocked" by the energy price cap rise and feared for people "on the breadline" where he lives.

He told the PA news agency: "It’s crazy. There’s absolutely no way people can afford this kind of price rise. I’m shocked by it.

"I thought they would have pulled back on it. I thought we wouldn’t have this, what they call ‘zombie government’ with no-one in charge."

Alcock went on: "We’re coming up to winter now. When winter starts and people can’t put their heating on… I’ll be heating one room in my house, but people have got children. The area I live in is a pretty low-income area and there’s a lot of people on the breadline and they are going to suffer.

"What can you do? I am at the point where I’m trying to buy cheaper stuff but the prices across the board have gone up. I know this is happening, but what can I do?

"I’ve cancelled my direct debit for both gas and electric because they were saying I should pay something like £300 a month to cover it. So I said screw that, and cancelled it. And instead I set up a standing order, and I pay £75 into my electric and £25 into my gas per month, and I know at the end of the year there’s going to be a big bill but that’s what I can comfortably afford with other cost of living rises like the food shop and that, which has got to come first."