Consumer Focus believes the number of UK houses in fuel poverty will be as high as 6.4 million – 12 million people – after this year’s energy price increases.

Fuel poverty occurs when a household needs to spend more than 10% of its annual income on heating. The elderly and vulnerable are most at risk in cold homes. Fuel poverty can result from a number of different factors:

• Unaffordable energy prices – This is particularly relevant at a time when huge price rises in gas and electricity rates are being announced by many of the big energy companies. For those who rely on oil for heating, the price rises are even greater.
• Low household income - The elderly and vulnerable often struggle to make ends meet.They are usually at home all day and their heating bills are higher than those who work or are more mobile.
• Poor heating and insulation standards –  It can be very expensive and time consuming to make older houses more energy efficient. Many are termed ‘hard to treat’, meaning that they have solid walls, sloping ceilings, are off the gas main or a combination of these.

NEA (National Energy Action) have described price rises that have pushed up the average energy bill from £580.00 in 2004 to £1,194.00 in 2010 as ‘catastrophic’.

“Since 2003, fuel prices have risen and have led to a rise in fuel poverty. The overall impact of price rises since 2004 has far outweighed the impact of increasing incomes and energy efficiency”.
The Annual Fuel Poverty Document 2010

Last winter 300 vulnerable people died in Gloucestershire from causes directly attributable to the cold and poor living conditions, (according to the Gloucestershire Community Foundation website). Cold homes exacerbate many health problems including asthma and heart disease, and in the worse case scenario, hypothermia can be life-threatening.

“It is a national disgrace that well over 4 million people in England alone are still living in fuel poverty in the 21st century”
David Timms, Friends of the Earth climate campaigner

Government fuel poverty figures released by DECC in 2010 referring to situation in 2008 stated that in Gloucestershire 45,648 households (13%) out of a total of 350,645 were in fuel poverty.

In Stroud 6,730 (14.6%) out of a total of 46,104 households were in fuel poverty.

If you’d like to help, you can either buy some of Wood U Waste’s briquettes, or donate your fuel allowance via our microsite donateyourfuelallowance.com