<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Everyday Australians are being forced to choose between putting food on the table and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-households-hit-with-higher-electricity-bills-within-months/20c21ed6-7f3a-4d52-8b90-4b11c9eb9532" rel="" target="" title="paying their power bills,"><span>paying their power bills,</span></a><span> new research has found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Half of the 1011 people surveyed by the Australian Council of Social Service said they were skipping meals and going without medication to keep the air conditioning or heating on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some said they were selling their belongings or using buy now, pay later (BNPL) products to afford their skyrocketing energy bills.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/western-australia-news-ferry-passenger-spots-two-scuba-divers-allegedly-stranded-in-water-by-tour-boat/27abd2fc-3f40-4979-9fb7-82160d62dc19" rel="" target="_blank" title="Shannon was riding the ferry when he spotted two 'stranded' divers"><strong><span>Shannon was riding the ferry when he spotted two 'stranded' divers</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Others said they were simply avoiding cooling or heating their home altogether to limit energy use.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Von, a 62-year-old from the Central Coast in NSW on the disability pension, said putting on the air conditioning wasn't an option.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I get up really early and track the weather, I can't really open the windows and we have black-out curtains and a floor fan in each bedroom that cools it a little but paying for air-conditioning is out of the question," Von said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/energy-bill-prices-australians-skipping-meals-to-afford-power-bills-research-finds/dec193c6-a21f-4dd1-8e85-112aaa19e624" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Trying to sleep is unbelievable. I take cold showers in the middle of the night to cool down and use wet towels. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's hard to clean the house because it's too hot. Cost is a huge factor."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-trade-war-eu-retaliates-against-us-trade-moves-and-hits-beef-whiskey-motorcycles-with-targeted-tariffs/4aa62117-1875-41f4-988f-e7024c32de81" target="_blank"><strong><span>Canada and EU retaliate against Trump, hitting beef, whiskey, motorcycles</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Melbourne man Euan, 61, is also on the disability support pension and said nights during the warmer months are "terrible".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We do have a fixed air-conditioner but only in the main bedroom, the two kids' bedrooms get incredibly hot in summer and stay that way," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Every day is a battle for me and it's worse at night with the heat. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The house is more than 40 years old and the windows are old and single pane."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Those surveyed by ACOSS said they wee cutting back the use of lights and cooling and limiting showers – or are are turning off big appliances to slash energy bills.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>EXPLAINED:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/donald-trump-tariffs-what-they-mean-australia-everything-need-know-explainer/6b4053af-724e-4649-a574-b73498d2fc4a" target="_blank"><strong><span>How hard Trump's tariffs will hit the Australian economy</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's a complete travesty that in one of the world's wealthiest nations people are getting sick, skipping meals and delaying medical appointments because they can't afford to cool and power their homes," said ACOSS chief executive Dr Cassandra Goldie.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>ACOSS is calling on the federal government to fund energy upgrades to all 437,700 social housing properties by 2030.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We urgently need to help people improve the thermal performance of housing, electrify and access rooftop solar and home batteries," Goldie said, "with the most help going to low-income and First Nations housing."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Energy bill prices are set to get worse from July 1 after the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released its draft decision "default market offer" (DMO) today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The average household may soon be paying as much as $200 more on annual electricity bills each year if the price caps for customers on standard plans are lifted.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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