A CEREDIGION charity has warned that people in the county are facing a dilemma of ‘eat or heat’ following confirmation that the average fuel price is set to rise by nearly £700 from April.

Energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed today that the energy price cap in the UK will rise by 54 per cent from April – with the average household facing an annual bill of £1,971, with people using pre-payment cards facing bills of £2,017.

Households will have to find an extra £693 on average, Ofgem has said.

Bills in counties such as Ceredigion, Powys and Gwynedd are expected to be higher still due to the rurality of the areas.

Ceredigion Citizens Advice have warned that people are facing an ‘eat or heat dilemma’ in county due to the soaring costs.

During 2021 Ceredigion Citizens Advice received more than double the number of calls from people concerned about energy debt compared to the previous year.

Energy advice supervisor William Jones said that his team were seeing evidence of the impact of price rises in electricity, gas, oil and LPG.

“People are facing the heat or eat dilemma,” he said.

It is predicted that energy bills could increase by up to £700 a year from April.

“People are underheating their homes, putting their physical and mental well being at risk. Increases from April will put even more strain on people’s financial, mental and physical well-being ,” he added.

The rise in energy costs has been put down to a record increase in global gas prices.

Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said: “We know this rise will be extremely worrying for many people, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet, and Ofgem will ensure energy companies support their customers in any way they can.

“The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices, a once in a 30-year event, and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that, under the price cap, energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas.

“Ofgem is working to stabilise the market and over the longer term to diversify our sources of energy which will help protect customers from similar price shocks in the future.”Explaining why energy bills are higher in rural parts of Wales compared to more densely populated areas, an Ofgem spokesperson said: ““Energy bills factor in the cost of transporting electricity to the region where it is consumed.

“There are 14 regions across Great Britain, and in a region with lots of people, the cost will be spread more widely among households. In regions with fewer people the costs will fall on fewer households.”

Anyone worried about energy or debt problems should call Ceredigion Citizens Advice on 01239 621974, Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.