'I couldn't afford to have the heating on'

High energy bills mean every day is a struggle, a former musician said.

Keith Powell, 81, from Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire, has bladder cancer, arthritis and type 2 diabetes and his home energy usage is higher due to his need to stay warm.

His gas and electricity bills totalled more than £200 a month meaning he struggled to pay them until a charity stepped in to help.

According to disability charity Scope, households where someone has a disability pay about £975 a month more to have the same living standards as non-disabled households.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed that when asked “how easy or difficult is it to afford your energy payments?”, disabled people were more likely to find it “somewhat difficult” or “extremely difficult”.

“I couldn't afford to have the heating on, so I put another jumper on, or I'd go to bed early and watch television in bed because it was cold," he said.

The Birmingham-born musician, who played with bands The Vikings and The Valets during the 1960s, said the situation he and people with sickness and disabilities faced was significant.

“It's very, very stressful, and stress, as the doctors keep telling me, is something that people of my age can do without.”

Charity Act on Energy stepped in just over a year ago and helped halve his direct debit payments through negotiations with his gas and electricity suppliers, which he said “helped me enormously.”

CEO Rachel Jones said in recent years the charity has seen increased numbers of people asking for help, especially if they have a disability.

“A larger proportion of people who are struggling with health conditions are calling us because they are worried about how they can afford to heat their homes," she said.

The charity is calling for longer-term help for the most vulnerable in society, as they say this will help people get consistent aid.

Tackling standing charges could help a lot of people in similar situations to his own, Mr Powell said.

“For elderly people and disabled people, the energy companies, their standing charges just keep going up,” he said.