Leeds students affected by energy crisis

National crisis

Everyone in the UK has been affected by the rise in living costs due to the energy crisis. predictions claim that the energy crisis will last until at least 2024.

The crisis was pushed by the two globally affecting events which was the Russian attempted takeover of Ukraine and the Coronavirus epidemic.

Ofgem since October 1 most people pay about £1,570 more per year for gas and electricity. This increase is because the energy price cap, set by energy regulator Ofgem, is set to jump by 80 percent to reflect rising wholesale energy costs for energy suppliers.

The energy price cap is increasing by 54% and the public are beginning to look for alternative methods of household and company energy due to struggles for survival throughout the energy crisis and it’s repercussions.

CEO of solar panel company Green Energi Gary Spicer said: “People aren’t just by solar now to be friendly to the environment but what were finding is the importance of saving energy, taking your energy supply off the grid and in that saving money is becoming a priority to the public.”

Leeds students voice their struggle

Many students where unaware that even if a contract states all bills included they do have a cap on their household energy usage. Leeds students say this has never affected them before but have noticed this for the first time since the beginning of the university year.

University of Leeds student Lucas Spencer-Scheilling said: “We are only allowed two hours of heating a day, if gone over we have to pay extra, our house can be freezing at times.”

Save the student latest national student money survey which was posted October 2022 concluded the average monthly living costs is £924 a month this is a large increase from the survey of 2021 which concluded the average to be £810. This is a yearly increase of £1,368 per student.

Leeds Beckett student Ella Berneysmith said: “The rapid increase in petrol prices has limited my car usage massively which is something I wasn’t expecting to experience in 2022. This is worrying and makes me dread what is to come in the future.”

Students also estimate that they spend £64 on monthly bills this includes: gas, electricity, water, broadband and a tv license this is a 60% increase from the year prior.