Fuel poverty could affect a quarter of households
October 20, 2008
According to a recent report fuel poverty could be affecting a quarter of households in the UK by the end of next year, with huge hikes in energy prices over the course of this year resulting in an increase in the number of households that are paying 10% or more of their total household income towards energy bills. Energy giants have already hiked up their energy costs twice this year, resulting in added financial strain for already struggling households.
It is thought that around 5.7 million homes will be facing fuel poverty by the end of 2009. The data comes from the National Housing Federation, which states that by 2010 the average annual electricity bill per household will have gone up by around £500 and the average annual gas bill per household by around £900.
An official from the National Housing Federation stated: “The government needs to grasp the nettle and take strong and radical action to protect the nation’s energy customers. Britain is virtually unique in Europe in that our energy suppliers have been privatised and deregulated. The promise at the time of deregulation was that prices would fall. This has palpably not happened. It is time for ministers to regulate the market.”
An official from Friends of the Earth added: “We have set out exactly what needs to be done to sort out this national disaster - ministers must now listen and take action now to fulfil all our recommendations.” However, a spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform said: “The government is committed to responding to the new insecurities that hard-pressed, hard-working British families face and is already doing a lot to help people save energy and reduce their fuel bills. Since 2000 we have spent £20 billion on fuel poverty benefits and programmes - assisting over two million households in the UK.”
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