Fuel poverty climbs despite what the figures say

More than one in 10 English households is now living in fuel poverty, government figures show. 2.28m properties people are struggling to be able to afford to heat their homes. The Department of Energy and Climate Change predicts that the number will climb by 2014 to 2.33m. Under the old measure, which included everybody who had to spend more than 10 per cent of their income to heat their homes properly, some 4.5m English households were in fuel poverty in 2012, a huge increase on the 3.2m homes in fuel poverty in 2011 and almost double the number included in the new measure. Struggling households are on average £443 short of being able to afford their heating and lighting bills, the statistics show. Those living in private rented accommodation continued to have the highest rates of fuel poverty.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director for Age UK pointed out that the health implications of living in cold homes are well established, ranging from cardiovascular and respiratory disease to depression. “No older person should worry that they could die from the cold in their own home,” she said. “Fuel poverty has harmed our population, older people especially, for far too long.”