12 million UK households face winter fuel poverty

The estimates consider support announced by the Government so far and are historically reflective of the definitions of fuel poverty used in official statistics.

From the price cap rise on 1 October, the estimates show that 21 million people in around 9 million homes (32%) will be affected this winter. The figures are then set to grow to around 28 million people in 12 million UK households (42%) from January 2023 unless urgent action is taken by the Government.

Attitudes towards the government’s response has been clear, as over 110,000 people have already signed the Warm This Winter petition calling for immediate government action.

The petition was only launched last Friday (August 26) as the Ofgem price cap for this winter was confirmed. The Warm this Winter campaign demands that the government provides more emergency money for people this winter, funding to help everyone cut their bills with better insulation and move towards renewables and away from fossil fuel dependency.

The figures come as a new report by University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (IHE) predicts “a humanitarian crisis” for children stuck in cold homes and reveals the public health crisis fuel poverty will cause.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented: “The IHE report backs up our worst fears about just how devastating the winter energy bills crisis will be. The public is clamouring to be kept warm this winter and we need to see more emergency money for people this winter, funding to help everyone cut their bills with better insulation, and a rapid move away from expensive gas and onto cheaper, renewable energy.”

Meanwhile, the Resolution Foundation has warned that the next prime minister’s time in office looks set to be dominated by the “terrifying” prospect of the biggest squeeze in living standards for a century.

Tessa Khan, director of Uplift, which is part of the Warm This Winter campaign, said: “While the leadership candidates fall back on the failed fossil fuel solutions of the past, the public are demanding fresh thinking.

Khan continued, stating that: “The public want both short term and long-term solutions to the fuel poverty crisis. We need to reject expensive, dirty, fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy and improved energy efficiency of buildings, alongside immediate financial support this winter.”

Ruth London from Fuel Poverty Action commented: “Energy producers and suppliers are making record profits from putting up prices to a level that millions will struggle to pay.”

London declared: “The present pricing framework is upside down: the poorest customers pay the highest prices. Our Energy for All proposal would reverse this: each household will receive enough energy to cover its basic needs, paid for by higher prices for profligate energy use, and reversing the flow of taxpayer’s money to fossil fuel profiteers.”

The spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition added: “These predictions represent figures we may expect to go on to see reported in official statistics. The households affected in these numbers all have a real risk of making daily economic sacrifices that compromise their standard of living, with many of them at risk of health complications caused by living in a cold damp home.”