As energy prices and the cost of living soared, 2022 saw a record fall in the amount of gas people in Cumberland used to fuel their homes, new figures show.
Campaign group National Energy Action said households may be reducing their energy use to "dangerously low levels", and called on the Government to provide more support to the most vulnerable.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero figures show Cumberland residents used 1,267 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of gas in 2022.
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This was a 14.8 per cent fall on the year before, the largest decrease in domestic gas usage since comparable records began in 2,016.
Nationally, domestic gas use fell by 12.7% in 2022 – also the highest decline in 16 years – which the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's report said is "likely related to elevated energy prices as well as the generally high cost of living"
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