It comes after the St Vincent’s de Paul Society revealed that $143,100 had gone to help Wagga residents pay their gas and electricity bills so far in 2017, compared to $77,962 for the same period in 2016.

Wagga Family Support Services financial counsellor Nick Georgiou said that such bills often become more of an issue after winter and in the lead up to summer.

“Power bills impact so many people in the community; students, young families and seniors,” he said.

“There is an even greater impact on older people who may be more vulnerable to the cold and heat, especially if they are on a fixed government pension.

“They typically have a smaller budget to work with and the increased costs on basic needs like lighting and heating have a bigger impact on them.”

But is more than just pensioners who will be affected by the costs, according to secretary for the Older Men New Ideas Executive, Ray King.

He said that elderly, self-funded people are often forgotten when it comes to discussing financial struggles.

“Elderly, self-funded people are finding it particularly difficult and the cost of energy will have a great impact on them,” he said.

“They don’t have access to the type of benefits other seniors have in terms of pensioner discounts.

“I think their plight is one that tends to be neglected. Some of them have their money tied up in shares and are at the mercy of their share market for their dividens.

“I think what they’re scared of is the fact that no matter what the bill is going to be, it’s very difficult to plan for that at a time that coincides with their dividend payment and they may be caught out.”

For people struggling with paying their bills, Mr Georgiou said steps can be taken to relieve the pressure.

He said if anyone has issues paying their power bills, to contact their provider and “first make sure they have all the available discounts applied to their account.”

“This is often something you have to ask for so its worth getting on the phone and taking a few minutes to check,” he said.

“Secondly, if you are going to need more time to pay a bill, call and let them know and see if you can work out a payment plan.”