HEAT OR EAT

In Wales, we pay on average 5-10% more for our energy than elsewhere and it has been estimated that 30% of households in Wales are living with fuel poverty. There are many reasons for this, but on top of our lower wages, it means that one in four households are in fuel poverty. Plaid Cymru already has plans to establish a publicly owned and not-for-dividend energy company will be able to offer lower energy prices to customers.

Now it’s not just customers who are on the mains who get hit with excessively high domestic energy bills, the situation is even worse for those customers living in rural areas (like significant parts of Monmouthshire) who are off the mains gas supply. Here it can literally come down to a choice of leaving the heating off to save money and choosing to put food on. Some 400,000 Welsh customers are not connected to the gas mains, and as a result they often face higher energy prices and have very little consumer protection. 

Plaid Cymru’s http://www.offgridcymru.org website will help to give people the opportunity to come together so that we can try to help them pool together and get a better deal for their energy. There is a real need for better consumer protection for off-grid customers. As the winter draws in, people across Wales will face the prospect of higher heating bills, but does not need to be this way. Plaid Cymru’s pioneering plans can bring down energy bills for customers all over Wales, fight for a better deal for us.