Scots already rationing their energy use and going cold as price hikes loom, poll finds

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Seven out of ten Scots are worried about affording their energy bills and many are already going cold in their own homes due to rocketing energy prices.An exclusive poll also found 65% of people have rationed their energy use - even before a bombshell energy price rise kicks in.

Scots face an “awful April” due to energy bills soaring by nearly £700 and national insurance contributions also shooting up.

Water bill rises, council tax increases and rail fare hikes will pile further pressure on hard-pressed Scots. This is on top of the Tory Government taking money away from the low income Scots by cutting Universal Credit.

A new poll for Advice Direct Scotland, carried out by Survation, reveals the full extent of the hardship facing most households.According to the findings, 70% of people are worried about being able to pay their gas and electricity bills this year.Nearly two-thirds of Scots said they had already limited their energy use in the past 12 months to spend money in other areas, including food.Of those people rationing their energy use, 86% said they felt cold in their own home due to turning off heating.The poll of 1,008 people was conducted between January 26 and 28 - before the energy price cap hike was announced.Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of ADS, said:“This stark poll demonstrates the scale of the cost-of-living crisis in Scotland.“Thousands of households are already rationing their energy use so that they can afford necessities such as food.