A MUM who is allergic to the cold fears the new energy bill price hike will make her life hell.
Nyree Clark, from Yorkshire, suffers from painful rashes all over her body when temperatures plunge because of a rare condition known as Severe Idiopathic Cold Urticaria.
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It can even cause anaphylaxis in severe scenarios which makes the mouth and tongue swell.
She told YorkshireLive: “It feels like I’m on fire and you can feel the heat from my skin as it goes into overdrive.
“Also, you get the pain which feels like itchy nettle stings – your mouth, throat and tongue swells and you struggle to breathe and even walk.”
Nyree says she already struggles to stretch her wages to cover bills and worries she may fall into debt as the fresh energy price cap, which comes into effect on April 1, will take the average household bill to £1,971 a year.
She says she is forced to keep the heating on a level on the cusp of triggering an allergic reaction.
“We are on the edge of paying our way, but how much further can you make your wages go,” she added.
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“Normally I keep the heating on at 20 degrees but now I am having to keep the house between 16 to 18 to try and save on heating,” she said.
“So in the evening it is extra blankets or going to bed earlier to keep warmer under the duvet.
“The choices are to go into debt or to live.”
Another woman who suffers from the same allergy says she has to inhalers and tablets when a reaction strikes.
Jackie Thompson, who lives in Scotland, told the outlet: “We are not just allergic to cold – it’s much more than that our bodies struggle to cope with different temperatures.
“Some of us – myself included – have periods of excessive sweating where the cooled sweat reacts and makes us itch.”
It comes as millions of Brits will see their energy bills soar by a record £693 a year after the new price cap was confirmed this week.
The cap has soared by 54 per cent – more than was predicted by analysts – and will impact around 22million households.
It climbed to £1,277 in October, but this week was increased again as suppliers and households alike struggle to cope with soaring costs.
Meanwhile, prepayment meter customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017.
The price cap is also expected to go up again in October.
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