Anguish of Pulborough mum living in fear of her next electricity bill

Hannah Chilcott says that blow heaters were installed in her Saxon Weald property during refurbishment work before she moved into the flat in November.

“They cost about a £1 an hour per heater. My electric bill is actually costing more than my rent.”

She is so worried about the cost - after calculating that 10 days’ use of electricity cost her £146 - that she and her baby daughter Louella are living in a cold flat with no cooker, washing machine or shower.

“I had to turn everything off,” she said. She went to stay with her dad in Billingshurst while trying to sort things out.

Now, she says, she’s back home but still using electricity sparingly. “I’m just dreading the bill. I can’t afford to pay it. And I know that costs will go up even more in April.”

She says the flat now has black mould in places and her three-month-old daughter has been continually ill with coughs and colds.

“She has her own bedroom,” said Hannah, “but I can’t use it because it’s another heater I can’t afford to run.”

The blow heaters she has, she said, “are a temporary heating source. They shouldn’t be the main heating there is for the house.

“My tenancy agreement says I have storage heaters, but I don’t.”

A spokesperson for Saxon Weald said: “We visited Ms Chilcott in early February to assess her heating and ensure she was on the right energy tariff.

“Our operative confirmed everything was working correctly and the tariff was right for the type of heating in the property.

“Unfortunately, the cost of electricity is unprecedently high at the moment, which is making this a very difficult time for many of our customers financially. “Our Money Matters team have been working to support Ms Chilcott and others who are struggling.

“We can offer advice, support with benefit applications, food bank vouchers and even emergency payments for those in most need.”