As energy prices rise, I realise that a second jumper is no match for double glazing

Lucky to be able to pay higher bills, Will Gore nonetheless wages war on unnecessary energy use

When it comes to energy use, I have always been careful, almost to the point of paranoia (Getty/iStock)

It adds a certain piquancy to the energy price cap rise that it should coincide with a sudden cold snap. Any hopes that the government might have had about avoiding the public’s wrath in a burst of spring warmth have been well and truly dashed. Ministers will say it’s a perfect storm – but they aren’t going to bear the brunt of it.

On Thursday evening, like the rest of the country, I popped out to read my electricity and gas meters, only to open the box and remember that we have a smart meter anyway. I promptly went back inside, turned on the energy usage monitor and gulped as I saw how much it had cost to cook the kids’ tea.

I am, I must acknowledge, in a very fortunate position of knowing that I will be able to afford the rising prices. I will have to take a bit more care with other things I’d like to buy, but I’m not going to suffer the hardship that millions of other people will, which is a sobering thought.