THE St Vincent de Paul charity has revealed there has been a 150 per cent increase in demand for help with oil in the last two months amid the escalating cost of living crisis.
It also said it had received 1,600 calls for help and support last month alone with people left feeling "desperate".
It comes amid further increases in the cost of electricity and gas from some suppliers, which came into effect on Saturday.
Mary Waide from the charity said they have been inundated with calls from people who "simply haven't enough money to pay for their heating and energy costs and food".
"People really are desperate," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"We have found a big increase in requests for energy - that's electricity, gas and oil. We have a 30 per cent increase in requests coming into the Belfast office.
"In four weeks 1,600 people have approached us asking for help.
"In August/September, calls about oil are at a 158 per cent increase, electricity at a 20 per cent increase and gas at a 24 per cent increase."
Ms Waide said they also had noticed a rise in the amount of warm clothes being bought from the charity's shop.
"People this year are getting ready for a hard winter - they are looking for heavy blankets, fleeces and boots and are really stocking up on things that previously there would not have been a big demand for at this stage," she said.
"This is only the start - we have had quite mild weather so we are expecting a deluge of requests."
