Cost of living crisis: How residents in Sheffield's poshest village will weather the storm

Michael Briggs is frank about how energy price increases will affect him this winter - but he still wants the government to step in to help others.

The retired architect lives in the leafy village of Dore - dubbed Sheffield’s most desirable suburb - where million pound homes are common.

People are tanned and healthy and sit chatting in the sunshine at pavement cafes. Hanging baskets and bunting give the village colour and an array of independent shops give it life.

But there are some enterprises you won’t see in many villages, including a disproportionate number of hair, beauty and wellbeing salons and an upmarket kitchen business, a firm of architects and a financial advisers in shop units just like regular retailers.

Energy bills will rise sharply on October 1 when a new cap of £3,549-a-year comes in for 24m households. The huge increase, with another predicted in January, has sparked calls for government help.

Mr Briggs said: “I’m very careful with my money, I have no debts. But I looked at my energy bill this morning and it had doubled, I can’t understand why the government hasn’t stepped in.

“I have very efficient heating but I’m might put some more insulation in my home.”

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Paul Bradley said he was fitting air conditioning units to beat the bills.

It was little known that they could heat as well as cool and were much cheaper than burning gas, he said. And at up to £1,000 per unit - two were needed in most homes - much less than air source heat pumps that also require all new radiators.

He added: “I’ll be all right, I’m very lucky to be in this position, although I’ll have to see how it goes."

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Ken Norris, aged 69, said he would be forced to use savings to cover the cost of energy which had doubled to £125 per month in the last year and was set to go up again to £182 per month.

He has three pensions, state, company and private, and his wife will get the state pension when she turns 66, he said.

He added: “I dread to think what will happen in January, we will have to dip into our savings. We are not sitting in the cold.”

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The Star is campaigning for new MP Liz Truss to:

Stop the cost of energy from going above double the levels seen last winter, for both households and businesses;

Help those on prepayment meters so they are no longer facing higher energy prices;

Tell energy companies that they cannot cut off the supply to any homes this winter if people fall behind on their bills.