A mother says she will be forced to freeze this winter after her energy bill surged to £530 a month – the majority of which is used on life-saving equipment for her disabled daughter.
Carolynne Hunter, from Tillicoultry in Scotland, told Sky News she is “exhausted and scared” about the winter ahead.
Her 12-year-old daughter, Freya, requires round-the-clock intensive care at home. She is oxygen-dependent and requires a track and hoist, a powerchair, an electric bed, and an electric bath.
She also requires two-bed linen changes and multiple clothing changes per day, generating a significant amount of laundry that all needs to be washed and dried.
Freya is unable to regulate her own body temperature, so requires constant heating in the winter.
Ms Hunter has seen her bill more than double since March – from £225 a month to £530. This winter she will turn off the heating in every room except Freya’s – and said she and her other daughter will “freeze”.
🗣️”I don’t know how I’m going to afford it. I’m worried and anxious.”@CazMac38 is an unpaid intensive carer who has historically lived in fuel poverty to support Freya’s energy needs.
Hear their story 👇 #ChallengePoverty #TurnTheTide@trussliz @NicolaSturgeon @ElenaWhitham pic.twitter.com/fHBPsOb9m9
— SASW (@ScotsSW) October 4, 2022
But, she told Sky News, she has no choice if she wants to keep her daughter alive.
“The staff who support Freya also need heating, so I have to pay for them to be warm.
“It’s causing friction between me and them as I have to keep telling them to turn off unnecessary taps and heating. They’re not my staff, they’re NHS staff.”
She added: “I pay for them to be warm – they can’t freeze all night, but I can. I don’t matter, do I?”
Ms Hunter is calling on energy companies to offer discounted rates to people living with disabilities, who require energy to keep them alive.
“All I am thinking about at the moment is how to keep Freya alive,” she said.
She was referred to Citizen’s Advice for a £49 voucher, but she said this won’t even touch the sides of her £6,000 annual energy bill.
The fear and stress are taking their toll and Ms Hunter said she fears she is heading towards a stroke: “I am angry and fighting all the time.”