Cold snap costs Britons £1.6 billion
20/02/2012
A number of people will have taken a significant financial hit over the last few weeks, thanks to the recent cold snap.
Research from Moneysupermarket.com shows that February's Big Freeze added an average of £77 pounds to each household's annual heating bill.
As a result, British families will be forking out an extra £1.6 billion this year.
Some 81 per cent of energy users claimed that they used their heating more than usual as a result of the cold snap, with one in five admitting to "leaving it on constantly".
Energy manager Scott Byrom said that the increased energy use, in addition to the recent expensive Christmas period, could leave many consumers "struggling" to pay their bills.
Many Britons were experiencing financial concerns related to their energy costs even before the severe winter weather arrived.
An earlier survey by uSwitch.com found that 85 per cent of consumers were worried about the price of fuel, and around three-quarters of households had gone without heating at some point during the winter in order to save money on their bills.
Posted by Kim Burns
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