Energy crisis: Wales among ‘worst hit’ by soaring energy costs

Wales is one of the areas worst impacted by the recent rise in energy bills, new research can reveal. Out of all UK regions, Residents of Wales spend the third-biggest percentage of their household budget on gas and electricity, after Scotland and Northern Ireland, making them one of the regions most affected by the 250 percent hike in fuel and electricity costs.

People in Wales spend over 38 percent more of their weekly budget on electricity than London, the region least hit by rising energy costs. Welsh residents also spend 10 percent more on electricity than the average UK household, making Wales the region third most impacted by increased costs from energy suppliers.

The research, conducted by heating experts Boiler Central, used ONS data on household gas and electricity spending between 2018 and 2020, to discover which UK area would be worst affected by the hike in energy costs.

Northern Ireland is the region worst off for increased energy costs, with households spending 32 percent more of their weekly budget on gas and electricity than the average UK household, and 66 percent more than London, the area which spends the least on electricity.

The West Midlands, the North West and the North East were also among the regions worst hit by the increase in electricity costs. Residents in the West Midlands and North West spent a third (38 percent) more of their weekly household budget on heating their homes than residents in London, while households in the North East spend 28 percent more.

The area least impacted by rising electricity costs was London, where residents spend the least amount of their weekly budget on heating their homes.

The South East also fared better than the rest of the UK when it came to increased prices, with households spending 16 percent less on fuel and electricity each week than the average UK household.

A spokesperson for Boiler Central, which conducted the study, said:

“As winter draws in, rising energy costs have been dominating headlines. When we look at the data, it’s clear that some areas of the UK are already spending disproportionately more on electricity than other regions, and will likely be most impacted by the hike in energy prices. While the government is looking into alternatives to fossil fuels – such as hydrogen and heat pumps – it could be several years until these become viable for every household, and in the meantime, families have to deal with ever more unaffordable gas prices”.

UK regions worst hit by soaring energy costs