Disabled people facing a ‘cost-of-breathing’ crisis due to high energy bills

Disabled households need an additional £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households, charity says

Scope said disabled people face higher costs in the energy crisis and have launched a new TV ad to raise awareness (PA)

Many disabled people are facing a cost-of-breathing crisis amid higher energy bills, a new television advert has warned.

Disabled people who rely on energy to move around, speak and breathe risk losing their independence, health and wellbeing, a charity said as it revealed a quarter of the callers to its helpline who rely on medical equipment have had to switch it off to save money.

Scope, a disability equality charity, said that while much of the population is looking forward to using less energy as the weather warms up in the summer, many disabled people will not have that option.