Over one million of England’s working households are now in fuel poverty

SOURCE GUARDIAN: More than a million working households in England are in fuel poverty 

A study by the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange looking at the 2.3m households in England in fuel poverty found that half of them, around 1.1m households, had someone in work. Fuel poverty has been made worse by rising energy bills and, despite improvements, the housing stock is still highly inefficient, it said. Households in the least energy-efficient properties would have to spend an extra £1,700 a year to heat their homes to a comfortable level. The thinktank said energy efficiency should be viewed as a national infrastructure priority, tapping into the government’s £100bn infrastructure budget over the next five years. Richard Howard, the report’s author, said: “Most people assume that it’s the elderly who are most at risk of not being able to heat their homes. But the facts paint a startling picture. There are over one million working households struggling to afford their energy bills and living in underheated homes... Fuel poverty can severely affect people’s health and also puts a strain on the NHS. It is absolutely critical that the government prioritises support to those households most at risk.”

SOURCE POLICY EXCHANGE: Warmer Homes: Improving fuel poverty and energy efficiency policy in the UK

2.3 million households in England are living in fuel poverty. Over 1 million of them are in work. 10% of all households in England are in fuel poverty – but this rises to 19% of households living in private rented accommodation. Fuel poverty has been made worse by rising energy bills – consumer gas prices increased by 128% over the period 2003 to 2013. Despite some recent improvement, the UK’s housing stock remains woefully inefficient compared to other European countries. The report highlights flaws with the current fuel poverty strategy. The government target is to move all fuel poor homes in England to a ‘Band C’ energy efficiency rating by 2030, at an estimated cost of £1.2billion a year. However, the government is spending less than half of what is required (£490million a year) leading to a £700million per year funding gap.

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