Archived press release

Over four million households still live in fuel poverty - latest figures

14 October 2010

Commenting on Government figures showing the number of people living in fuel poverty released today, Friends of the Earth's climate campaigner Dave Timms said:

"It's a national disgrace that over four million households are still living in fuel poverty in the 21st century, as a result huge numbers of vulnerable families, pensioners and children are suffering from ill health and high energy bills.

"Dramatically improving the energy efficiency of our cold and draughty houses is the only long-term solution to fuel poverty - too much money is being wasted heating the planet instead of our homes.

"The freezing weather last winter should have been a wake-up call to politicians of all parties, yet the coalition has not set out a clear strategy to eliminate fuel poverty. This is urgently needed if they are to improve on Labour's poor record.

"Many of those living in fuel poverty are tenants unable to take steps to make their homes cheaper and easier to keep warm.

"The Government must introduce a legal minimum energy efficiency standard for private rented homes making it an offence to let the worst insulated, health- hazard homes until they are improved."

These figures come on the same day the Government has announced it will consult on abolishing Consumer Focus, the watchdog which has protected the interests of people living in fuel poverty and scrutinized the activity of energy companies, saving households millions on fuel bills.

Key findings from the Government statistics:

• The number of UK households living in fuel poverty rose again in the face
  of rising energy prices to 4.5 million in 2008, up from 4 million in 2007. In England there were 3.3m households in fuel poverty in 2008, up from 2.8m in 2007.
• The number of homes with elderly people, children or someone who has long-term illness or disability suffering from fuel poverty rose by half a million in 2008, to 3.75 million across the UK.
• The projected figures for England show a further expected significant rise
  from 3.3 million fuel poor households in 2008 to 4.1 million in 2009 - this is projected to level off in 2010 due to falling energy prices during the recession.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The full statistics on fuel poverty are available from the Department of Energy and Climate Change website.

2. A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10 per cent of its income on fuel to maintain a satisfactory heating regime (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).

3. According to the Chief Medical Officer the annual cost to the NHS of treating winter related disease due to cold private housing is £859 million.

4. A programme to bring the homes of the fuel poor up to a high standard would sustain over 35,000 jobs.

5. Friends of the Earth and a coalition of 15 other organisations including Crisis, Disability Alliance, Age UK and Citizens Advice are calling for legislation in the Energy Bill to set a minimum legal level of energy efficiency for private rented homes so that the very worst insulated properties cannot be let until they have been improved to a higher level. Eighty MPs including many senior Lib Dem backbenchers have signed an EDM (number 653) supporting this demand.

6. Friends of the Earth is campaigning for a comprehensive strategy for installing insulation, energy efficiency measures and small-scale renewable energy in every home.

7. Friends of the Earth has campaigned for years against fuel poverty and was a key part of the coalition lobbying for the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, which first established the UK target to eliminate fuel poverty by 2016. In 2008 Friends of the Earth and Age UK brought a Judicial Review against the Government for its failure to take action to meet its obligation to tackle fuel poverty.

8. Carbon emissions from homes make up 27 per cent of the UK's total.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust