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Official statistics show the number of households who are in "fuel poverty" has more than doubled in the last five years because of surging energy bills.
A household is defined as being fuel poor if it has to spend 10 per cent or more of its income on paying to keep the home adequately warm. With the average British fuel bill climbing to well over £1,000 a year – for many pensioners the largest bill they have to pay all year – a worryingly large number of people are struggling to keep their homes warm.
In 2003 the number of fuel poor households hit a low of two million, but it climbed to four million in 2007 and then 4.5 million in 2008. The figures were published yesterday by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in their 'Annual report on fuel poverty statistics 2010'. This suggests that one in six households were fuel poor during 2008, a year which saw energy bills shoot up by 45 per cent.
The figures were released just a day after the Treasury laid out plans to cut the emergency cold weather payments from £25 to £8.50. The emergency payments are made when the average temperature in a specific area in falls to freezing or below for seven consecutive days. Those who receive who pension credit or income support qualify for the payout.
There are also fears that the Winter Fuel Payment, which all pensioners are eligible for, will be scaled back by the Government. It is understood it wants to change the qualifying age for the annual payment from 60 to at least 66. The basic winter fuel payment, made to more than 12 million people, are also expected to be cut by £50 for new recipients and £100 for the oldest.
For further information read the full 'Annual report on fuel poverty statistics 2010'.
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A household is defined as being fuel poor if it has to spend 10 per cent or more of its income on paying to keep the home adequately warm. With the average British fuel bill climbing to well over £1,000 a year – for many pensioners the largest bill they have to pay all year – a worryingly large number of people are struggling to keep their homes warm.
In 2003 the number of fuel poor households hit a low of two million, but it climbed to four million in 2007 and then 4.5 million in 2008. The figures were published yesterday by the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in their 'Annual report on fuel poverty statistics 2010'. This suggests that one in six households were fuel poor during 2008, a year which saw energy bills shoot up by 45 per cent.
The figures were released just a day after the Treasury laid out plans to cut the emergency cold weather payments from £25 to £8.50. The emergency payments are made when the average temperature in a specific area in falls to freezing or below for seven consecutive days. Those who receive who pension credit or income support qualify for the payout.
There are also fears that the Winter Fuel Payment, which all pensioners are eligible for, will be scaled back by the Government. It is understood it wants to change the qualifying age for the annual payment from 60 to at least 66. The basic winter fuel payment, made to more than 12 million people, are also expected to be cut by £50 for new recipients and £100 for the oldest.
For further information read the full 'Annual report on fuel poverty statistics 2010'.
More...
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