Gas price hikes: your stories

The UK's biggest domestic energy supplier has announced record price increases. British Gas owner Centrica is raising gas prices by a record 35% and electricity prices by 9%.

BBC News website readers have been telling us about how the huge rises in energy costs will affect them and what they are planning to do to beat the price hikes.

TESSA ALEXIS, LONDON, ENGLAND

I think it is an absolute joke that British Gas claims to offer help for less well-off people. I am a month behind in paying my quarterly gas bill and have already been bullied by British Gas who have sent me three threatening letters.

My gas bill has gone up dramatically, even though I am trying to be economical. I am a full time student so I can't afford to pay the full bill this month. I have paid half of it and promised British Gas the other half within two weeks when I get paid. They have refused to arrange a payment plan and say they can't stop the letters or county court summons until they receive the full amount.

British Gas have threatened to cut off my gas supply and have sent a letter telling me that they will charge £50 for disconnection and £361 for a warrant to enter my home. They have also told me that if they have to send another letter, despite my phone calls explaining the situation, they will charge me £14. I'm very angry as this seems excessive for a bill that is less than a month overdue. Luckily I'm young and can stick up for myself but the letters would be frightening for a more vulnerable, elderly person.

DOUGIE BLAIR, GIRVAN, SCOTLAND

I am one of the few people in the UK who actually looks forward to energy price rises. I'm a designer of renewable energy products so hope that the rising prices of gas and electricity will force people to re-consider where they get their energy from. People are currently reliant on the big energy companies and don't think about investing in "inflation proof" energy.

I design ecological, renewable energy products for people's homes but feel that there is no government investment in this sort of clean energy. I can't get any government grants to fund my designs and local authorities make it almost impossible to install clean energy products, like small wind turbines. In Germany, the government provides 100% grants for people to install solar panels.

I am not affected by the gas price hikes as I heat my home the most energy efficient way with an electricity powered heat-pump. A solar heating water system costs only £2,000 to install and would pay for itself, especially as energy prices rise. Every new-build property should have one but the government doesn't seem to be seriously committed to renewable energy.

CLARE HOLMES, FELIXSTOWE, ENGLAND

I have done absolutely everything I can to lower my energy consumption but my bills are still astronomical. I have loft insulation, energy saving light-bulbs, cavity wall insulation and am planning to use a log fire this winter. Despite all these measures, my heating bill has gone through the roof and, as I am a British Gas customer, it will go up again.

My husband is disabled and we have done everything we can to take advantage of council grants to insulate our home. Even though we are both working so are not at home during the day and we try to turn the heating down or off whenever possible, the bills are still not affordable and I'm really not sure how we're going to cope.

We switched to British Gas from Powergen as we thought that would be cheaper. I look at price comparison sites and British Gas seemed to offer a better deal but that's certainly not true any more. It was a nightmare to switch suppliers and has probably ended up costing me more not less. I also recieved an incorrect £1,300 bill from British Gas which nearly gave me a heart attack! I'm not going to bother to switch again as every supplier will put prices up in the end.

KEITH PARSONS, PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND

I run a small business that has a showroom and an office but the cost of heating it is getting out of control. I am not going to use a gas heater anymore - apart from an annual safety check I have switched it off permanently.

I sell equipment for aided living so my customers are either elderly or disabled and I have to keep the showroom warm for them. The price of gas has gone up dramatically - our last bill was £600 and that was for the warmer months. I can see us getting a £1000 gas bill and our business just can't keep up with those sorts of costs.

I'm planning to use small electric heaters and will get a wood burning fire at home, but am seriously worried about the cost of overheads. A very cold winter could put us out of business.

Many of my customers are elderly and I feel that pensioners are hit the hardest by the fuel price hikes. There's no understanding of how worried they can get. I've seen people living in one room under blankets because they are struggling to afford to heat their homes.