For many, wintertime brings family joy centred on Christmas celebrations – but for Claire and Gareth Ferris, this year’s festive season brings only the dread of cold weather.
The couple say rising energy bills and poor home insulation, combined with a drop in temperatures outside, mean they have had to resort to switching off the heating and wrapping up in blankets and duvets in their living room.
Unable to afford costly window and door replacements, the couple even have to put duct tape in the cracks, just to try to keep some of the warmth inside.
But despite their best efforts to keep their three-bedroom home in Warwickshire insulated, it is a losing battle, which is impacting their mental health.
The couple’s story comes as the mercury plummeted in many parts of the UK this week, which triggered cold weather warnings issued by the UK Health Security Agency.
Mrs Ferris, 52, said: “We’re making do but it makes us depressed. We just try and keep warm under the duvet and blankets. We can’t afford to get the windows and doors redone. There’s always a draft in the winter and it’s freezing in the house.”
“The windows are 30-plus years old now and we get all the condensation between the glass – some days you can’t see out.”
She added: “We have to put duct tape round the windows in wintertime… sometimes it feels warmer outside than it does inside.”
With Mr Ferris, 64, earning £1,200 a month as a shopping centre security guard by working 12-hour shifts, the couple earn roughly £14,500 a year. Ms Ferris is unable to work due to ill health.
But since the pandemic and the rise in energy bills, they have seen their monthly electricity bill rocket from £57 a month in 2020 to £85.
In October, the energy price cap was increased by 2 per cent by regulator Ofgem, meaning a household in England, Scotland and Wales with typical usage now pays £1,755 a year, up £35, for gas and electricity.
Despite government support, including a one-off £150 grant via the Warm Home Discount Scheme and cold weather payments of up to £25 a week, and the couple switching utility suppliers, they said they keep the heating off.
It gets so cold inside the house, they said, that temperatures can fall to below freezing and they can see their own breath while sitting on the sofa.
Mrs Ferris said: “Sometimes it feels warmer outside than it does inside. I wish it was cheaper – it’s constantly going up and up.”
According to a government survey of adults by the government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, published last month, 47 per cent of people were “worried” about paying energy bills, a fall from 66 per cent in 2023, when prices rose following the invasion of Ukraine.
A report by the Money Advice Trust earlier this year found that 7 million adults in the UK were behind on at least one household bill, with 35 per cent of people saying they had reduced energy usage, such as heating.
And last week, energy watchdog Ofgem said domestic consumer energy debt had risen to £4.4bn, up 20 per cent from last year.
The body provides a list of ideas for customers wanting to reduce bills, including turning down heating in empty rooms, setting the washing machine to 30C, and closing the curtains at night to keep warm air in the home.
