UK Government failing Welsh households on fuel poverty

2 Oct 2008

The UK Government is failing to deliver on its commitment¹ to eradicate the fuel poverty² that affects almost a quarter of a million Welsh households³, according to new figures released today.

In the fuel poverty strategy⁴ annual progress report, the UK Government admits that fuel poverty has increased since 2004, and that it will miss its legal target to eliminate fuel poverty for vulnerable households by 2010.

It is estimated that over five million households in the UK will not be able to afford to properly heat and power their homes this winter, and that more than 20,000 people will die as a result of the cold⁵. Fuel poverty has been increasing because of rising fuel costs⁷ but, according to environmentalists, a lack of government action is also to blame.

Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gordon James, said:

"Fuel poverty is fast becoming a national disaster as the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments are failing by a huge margin to meet their legal duty to eliminate fuel poverty. Ordinary families are feeling the pain and society's most vulnerable are suffering and dying because of a 'double whammy' of rising fuel prices and poorly insulated homes.

"Far more should have been done to improve energy efficiency in homes and to insulate people from the inflation-busting fuel price rises. As well as reducing fuel bills, these measures improve home comfort and health, cut emissions of climate-changing gases such as carbon dioxide, create jobs and boost local economies.

"At least 27% of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK come from homes. With scientific predictions of climate change becoming ever more worrying, action to reduce residential energy use and emissions is vital.

"The Welsh Assembly Government is now drafting a national energy efficiency and savings plan, and must take a lead on this important issue. The UK Government is failing the poorest and most vulnerable households in Wales - the Assembly Government must not do the same, but instead ensure that both fuel poverty and carbon emissions are cut in Wales.

"Only a major UK investment of over £3 billion a year will ensure that vulnerable households will not have to choose between eating and heating and that sufficient cuts are made in emissions of climate-changing gases from homes."

Friends of the Earth is part of a coalition of charities and consumer groups that last month launched a ten point fuel poverty charter. This calls for more a major national programme to bring all properties up to a high energy efficiency standard and for more support for domestic scale renewable energy systems. This would be paid for by a windfall tax on the energy companies.

The environmental organisation has also commissioned a major study on energy saving in the home from experts at Oxford University⁷. This demonstrated how the UK could reduce carbon emissions from homes in the UK by 80% by 2050. The study has been presented to the Welsh Assembly Sustainability Committee's inquiry into cutting carbon emissions in Wales.

Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged are taking the Government to court next week (October 6-7th) because it is failing to keep its legal duty to eradicate fuel poverty.

NOTES

1. The UK Government has a legal duty under 'The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000' to do everything reasonably practicable to eliminate fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 and all others by 2018. Vulnerable households account for around 80% of the fuel poor and include the elderly, the sick and the disabled. The Welsh Assembly Government's obligations under the Act are detailed in the Fuel Poverty Commitment for Wales - see: ymchwiliadecolicymru.org/desh/publications/housing/fuelpovcommit/strategye.pdf?lang=en
2. Fuel poverty is defined as those households that need to spend more than 10% of household income on domestic energy in order to achieve a warm and healthy home.
3. In October 2007, the Welsh Assembly Government published its 'Living in Wales' survey. This showed that although fuel poverty had fallen from 333,000 to 134,000 households between 1998 and 2004, the number almost doubled to over 240,000 between 2004 and 2006.
4. The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy 6th Annual Progress Report
5. The Fuel Poverty Charter which was signed by a range of charity and consumer bodies on September 8th this year.
   www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/Fuel_Poverty_Charter_08092008.html
6. The average household faces an annual fuel bill of over £1300. This is a third higher than a year ago and more than double the average bill of five years ago.
7. 'Home Truths: A Low-Carbon Strategy to Reduce UK Housing Emissions by 2050' by Dr Brenda Boardman of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University. See: www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/hometruths.php

For further information please contact Friends of the Earth Cymru on 029 2022 9577