On the same day Westminster committed to deliver the £400 energy bill support scheme to people in Northern Ireland, one electricity provider announced they would be increasing their prices from October.

SSE Airtricity announced last Friday that residential electricity unit prices would increase by 35.4 per cent from October 1, in response to significant pressures the global energy markets continue to experience.

This announcement came on the same day that Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy confirmed the UK government would deliver the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme to Northern Ireland (NI).

However, Mr. Murphy said there was no guarantee on when these payments would be made here.

“While the British government has committed to delivering support as quickly as possible, they have failed to confirm whether (NI) households will receive their payment at the same time as those in England, Scotland and Wales,” Mr. Murphy said.

“It is deeply regrettable that payments to citizens in the North may be delayed due to the absence of an Executive.”

Mr. Murphy added: “I have made it clear to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that any delay in issuing these payments to citizens here will be completely unacceptable.”

Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said he believed the £400 support scheme would be delivered in November.

SSE Airtricity said the latest increase, which follows on from a previous announcement in April, will see a typical customer finding costs rising by around 91p per day.

A local debt charity has warned that simply living is now costing millions of low-income families everything as energy prices continue to soar.

Jonathan Hayward, Christians Against Poverty’s (CAP) Debt Centre Manager in Enniskillen, said: “Many local families living on a low-income are already in a financial crisis due to widespread rising costs.

“The recently announced gas price rises [due in October] on top of previous increases in the price of gas, electricity and oil – not to mention all the other price increases – will result in debt, desperation, and in some cases, destitution for local people this winter.”

Edith, a CAP client, said she sometimes had to go without meals: “If I was at work, I made a point of eating, as I was in company. Nobody else needed to know if I wasn’t able to have breakfast or to have dinner that night,” she said.

Another client, Robert, said: “People on a low income are finding the cost of living crisis is reducing their options and forcing them to make difficult decisions – like whether to use fuel to cook something or keep warm.”

Almost half of the people who approach CAP for help have been going without heating on a regular basis before contacting them.

“It’s actually frightening to imagine what that figure will be this winter, with the way energy prices have been going.

“Behind these stats are real families facing a real struggle to keep themselves warm and fed during the colder months. People need more support to ensure they have a liveable income and can afford their basic needs,” Robert added.

Anyone who’s struggling, or who knows someone who is struggling, is invited to seek free debt help by contacting CAP at 0800 328 0006, or see capuk.org. You can also find out more about CAP by doing an online search for ‘Christians Against Poverty’.