Mass lobbying events will be held in Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and St Albans this Saturday, April 1, to demand that the government takes action to lower energy bills.

The events are being coordinated by Warm This Winter, a campaign supported by anti-poverty and environmental organisations from across the UK.

Their campaign calls for MPs to sign a pledge committing them to "urging the government to rapidly expand home retrofit schemes, support the swift deployment of homegrown renewables like onshore wind and solar ... and provide further financial support to vulnerable households".

Greenpeace groups have organised the mass lobbying events in Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City and St Albans on Saturday, April 1.

They are calling for the local MPs - Stephen McPartland, Grant Shapps, and Daisy Cooper respectively - to sign the Warm This Winter pledge.

Alison Hockley, local group coordinator for WGC Greenpeace, said: "Seven million UK households are now in fuel poverty, having to choose every day between eating and heating.

"The simplest and quickest way the government could help is by making our draughty, gas-heated homes energy efficient.

"At the same time they need to enable more renewables, which are cheaper to produce and far quicker to set up than new fossil fuel plants.

"I checked how much my family could save if our house was fully insulated and our heating decarbonised: £1,996 a year!

"According to the Greenpeace Affordable Energy Calculator, the average saving for homes in my area is £1,889. Reducing our emissions has to be the first choice.

"I don’t understand why the government, and Grant Shapps as energy and net zero secretary, is not making this a priority.” 

Labour's parliamentary candidate for Stevenage, Kevin Bonavia, will be attending the event in Stevenage and said: "The biggest single worry I get from residents I meet on doorsteps is how are they going to pay ever-increasing bills.

"Last week I met a woman who had been working under her bed blankets so she could have enough money to pay the household bills for her family.

"Labour has been calling for a proper windfall tax on excess energy profits so we can cap energy bills. But we need a sustainable long-term plan too.

"A Labour Government would invest in greener more affordable energy and insulate homes that would save costs and help with climate change too."

The Stevenage event will take place from 11am at the joyride sculpture in the town centre, the Welwyn Garden City event will begin at noon by the fountain on Parkway, and the St Albans event will run from 3pm-4pm at the clock tower.