Residents refuse to pay energy bills increase after rates triple

Residents of a sheltered housing scheme in north Bristol are refusing to pay the increase to their energy bills after they tripled last year.

The residents of Garden Close, who all rent, make energy payments via Brunelcare, which runs the facility in Sea Mills. But their bills are much higher than other households as the energy cap does not apply.

More than half of the tenants at the complex have been withholding payment of the increase since it was introduced in October, as they feel it is unfair.

“We are being charged the wholesale commercial rate, which is divided by the number of properties, this bears no relevance whatsoever to what amounts of energy are actually used by individual properties,” says resident Robin Sykes.

Ex-neighbourhood housing officer Robin rents a one bedroom flat in Garden Close – photo: Mary Milton

Garden Close is a 1970s complex of 33 small flats and six bungalows, designed for older or disabled people.

Although the properties do have individual electricity meters, these are locked away and the tenants have no access to them.

As none of the residents pay an energy supplier directly, they have not been receiving the £66 a month subsidy which most people benefit from.

They have not been able to cut their bills by managing their energy use, or easily find out how much energy they are using.

Robin, who previously worked as a neighbourhood housing officer, has a small one bed flat in the complex. His bill has increased from around £100 a month to £300 – and residents have now elected him as their spokesperson.

“The lack of honest communication from Brunelcare is causing a lot of stress and is leading to distrust. I’ve had elderly and disabled people in my flat in tears,” he said.

Pete, another resident who did not wish to give his full name, has lived at Garden Close for more than ten years,

“I’m very confused about it all, and I think many of the others are too,” he said, adding that his pension is not increasing the same rate as energy prices.

After five months of resident action, Brunelcare has agreed that charges will no longer be equally split and will be based on tenants’ individual usage.

Robin added: “At least this is progress, as it empowers individuals to influence directly, through their own actions the amount of energy used and thus how much the charges are.”

But he’s still not satisfied: “We were promised that in early January 2023 we would be allowed to change to individual energy suppliers.”

He says this could reduce the tenants’ bills greatly as the price cap would then apply, but that “there is now no time scale for that at all”.

Only in the last few weeks has the Government portal opened, allowing residents in this situation to apply for £400 in funding, equivalent to the subsidy everyone else has been receiving since October.

This money has to be applied for online which Robin and Pete think will present a problem for some of the residents who are not computer users. They hope Brunelcare will assist them but no help has been offered as yet.

Brunelcare was approached for comment on this article.

Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main photo: Mary Milton

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