Press release

Government must insulate homes to wipe out fuel poverty

14 July 2011

Commenting on Government figures released today showing the number of households living in fuel poverty in the UK rose by one million to 5.5 million in 2009, Friends of the Earth's Energy Campaigner Dave Timms said:

"It's a national disgrace that millions of people are suffering in cold homes they can't afford to heat - insulating them properly would help vulnerable households save money on fuel bills and stay warm and healthy.

"Energy-efficient homes would also protect people from soaring energy prices by reducing our dependence on dirty and increasingly expensive fossil fuels.

"The Government needs to do much more to wipe out fuel poverty - that means a plan in its new Energy Bill for a nationwide refurb so no one has to live in a cold home.

"And it must bring forward from 2018 a proposed minimum energy efficiency standard for rented homes, which would lift 150,000 households out of fuel poverty.

"The Government has just announced a carbon tax - it should use this money to pay for better insulation to help people shivering in cold homes cut their bills."

The cost of fuel poverty

• Poor insulation means at least £1 of every £4 spent on heating UK homes is wasted. Homes rented from a landlord or letting agency are the most likely to be the worst insulated, and over 40 per cent of households in the worst insulated rented homes are in fuel poverty.
• The NHS spends £859 million each year treating cold-related illnesses due to poorly insulated homes, according to the Chief Medical Officer's 2009 report.
• The UK's homes account for 27 per cent of our carbon emissions - stopping them leaking heat is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to fight dangerous climate change.
• Government figures show 1.3million children in England are living in homes so cold they are a health hazard. A recent report for Friends of the Earth by UCL's Professor Sir Michael Marmot showed living in a cold house makes children twice as likely to suffer respiratory problems like asthma and puts teenagers more at risk of developing multiple mental health problems.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The Department of Energy and Climate Change figures show there were around 5.5million fuel poor households in the UK in 2009, the most recent year for which figures are available. This is up from 4.5million in 2008. In England, there were around 4million fuel poor households, up from 3.3million in 2008.
2. The Government announced a carbon tax on Tuesday 12 July as part of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR). Friends of the Earth believes the money raised through this Carbon Floor Price should pay for energy efficiency measures to improve the nation's cold homes, and that reducing electricity demand should be at the heart of the EMR. Full briefing here.
3. Friends of the Earth is also calling on the Government to take action in the Energy Bill currently going through Parliament to ensure all councils have a climate change strategy, bring forward to 2016 the proposed minimum energy efficiency standard for rented homes and ensure the UK has a comprehensive energy efficiency strategy which is sufficient to meet carbon targets and end fuel poverty.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust