Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has said it is “genuinely concerned” about the “untold pressure” which expected energy bill rises will bring to residents.

The energy price cap is set to go up in October, with an increase of 78 per cent predicted.

Analyst BFY has forecast that this could see a typical energy bill rise to £3,850 per year by January 2023.

The price cap, which sets a limit for how much energy providers can charge customers, was introduced in 2019 to protect people on variable tariffs and is calculated by Ofgem.

It will be announced by Ofgem on Friday, August 26, and will apply to most tariffs from October 1.

Ahead of this increase, statistics from Energy Action Scotland show almost half of households in Argyll and Bute are already living in fuel poverty.

As well as this, more and more people are finding themselves in extreme fuel poverty – which sees £1 in every £5 of household income being spent on energy bills.

Jen Broadhurst, Argyll and Bute CAB manager, said: ““If people haven’t already done so, we would encourage everyone to think very carefully about their household budget and prepare for higher energy bills this winter. We’ve all seen food prices rocket, now unfortunately we need to prepare for even higher energy costs.

“There is Government help available for every household and more help available to certain groups of people.

“Knowing just what help you will be entitled to can be baffling. Every week we read more news about what may or may not be available in terms of help - it’s confusing.

"However, Citizens Advice Scotland has an excellent resource called moneymap.scot and it’s really worth everyone taking a few minutes to work through it and see what help is available to them.”

Those who do not have access to the internet or are not confident in using it are reminded that there is a team of friendly advisers on hand who can help.

Last year, the Argyll and Bute CAB helped 1,100 households and collectively secured £1.1million in financial gain for them.

The Bureau also encourages households to talk about how they can plan for higher prices by discussing how to safely reduce daily energy usage, without compromising health.

With demand for the CAB’s energy advice services having already increased by 61 per cent since May 2021, a new adviser training programme is set to start in September.

Those who have six hours per week to spare, are confident using IT, and have strong communication skills are asked to consider getting involved.

To contact the branch, visit its website or call 01546 605550.