Cleaner, 52, vows to boycott the national grid with the help of her solar panels, log burner and camping stove in protest at British Gas owner’s ‘disgusting’ record £3.3.billion profits
- A furious woman has vowed to leave the national grid in protest of energy bills
- Kerry Collinson, 52, says profiteering energy giants like Centrica are ‘bullies’
- British Gas owner’s Centrica declared profits of £3.3billion today
A woman has vowed to quit using the national grid in protest at British Gas owner Centrica’s record £3.3bn profits announced today and shared how she saves energy by cooking on a camping stove and using a log burner for heat.
Kerry Collinson, 52, says she is one of ‘thousands’ of Brits who’ve started installing solar panels in a bid to quit relying on ‘bullying’ energy giants like British Gas owner Centrica.
The energy giant sparked outrage today after revealing that in the last year they have made record profits – trebling their £948 million in profits last reported in 2021.
Kerry, a commercial cleaner and dog walker from Crewkerne, Somerset, says despite cutting her energy bill to just £10 in November – her energy bills are still rising.
She claims that although she has been ruthlessly cutting down on her energy use, her energy provider Octopus told her that her bills may be doubled in April when the Government’s energy assistance scheme is due to end.
Kerry Collinson, 52, has said she is disgusted by record profits made by energy giants
Kerry is determined to use solar panels to get off the grid in protest
She says ‘profiteering’ by energy giants has left her feeling ‘physically sick’ – and called on the Government to ‘kick their arses’.
Speaking today she said: ‘Even though we are actually doing more to cut costs now, we’re still paying more than we used to.
‘It doesn’t matter how much you cut back, these companies are still charging us more. So other than literally sitting in the dark with little solar lights on, there’s no way we could use any less energy anymore.’
Today’s results for British Gas owner Centrica surpass the company’s previous profit high of £2.7bn, recorded in 2012
According to Kerry, Centrica’s announcement this morning was ‘disgusting’.
The companies huge haul, which comes after a row over debt collectors breaking into the homes of hard-up customers to forcibly install pre-payment meters, has provoked fresh accusations of profiteering and demands for a higher windfall tax.
Kerry continued: ‘Meanwhile these companies are announcing these disgusting profits this morning. I literally felt sick seeing Centrica’s profits this morning.
‘They should be ashamed of themselves, they’re taking advantage of the world’s situation to use it as cover to make disgusting profits.
‘There is no reason that they should be making three times their profits this year – they should be making half of what they made last year.
‘They’re a business, they have to make a profit each year, but trebling their profits into billions of pounds – unfortunately that just screams profiteering.
‘They have absolutely no excuse they can hide behind anymore. It’s the most disgusting abuse of people under so much pressure already.’
Last year, Kerry cut her monthly bill for her three-bedroom bungalow from a high of £230, to just £76 – or just £10 with the Government’s £66 energy voucher scheme.
She purchased a log burner she uses to boil water, and started cooking her meals on a camping stove that costs her just £1.20 per week.
She even abandoned using her laundry dryer – while her husband became a ‘solar expert’, purchasing two solar panels before ordering another two this year.
To save money on her energy bill Kerry says she cooks her meals on a camping stove
Rather than turn on her heating Kerry and her husband burn a log stove for warmth
Now she says she is one of ‘thousands’ of Brits who have joined Facebook groups dedicated to installing the panels to save money.
She added: ‘I don’t want to give them another penny, and I’m determined that I’ll get off the grid entirely.
‘Having these panels has showed me that we don’t need these companies – and we should be protesting over how much they have taken us for a ride this year.
‘They’re bullies, and the British public should not stand for it anymore. There are loads of ways to generate energy – they’re just making up excuses now to profit off the most needy.’
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