Tackling fuel poverty is Consumer Focus’s number one priority. It is part of a wider set of interconnected concerns – such as sustainability and financial inclusion – that we are working on. More than that, however, fuel poverty also requires swift and targeted action. More than 20,000 people die from the cold during winter and many more become ill and go into debt. 5 million households will find themselves in fuel poverty this winter. This is simply unacceptable.

 

A Bill to help end fuel poverty

 

Consumer Focus and other organisations are pressing for legislation containing several key measures that would help put the Government back on track to meeting its statutory fuel poverty targets:

 

-        A major energy efficiency programme to ‘fuel poverty proof’ existing homes by bringing them up to the current energy efficiency levels enjoyed by modern homes.

 

-        The use of social tariffs to limit vulnerable households’ exposure to high energy bills.  

 

We want MPs to bring forward a Bill that places these needed and overdue measures on the statute book. Millions of energy consumers need action, and urgently. Legislation would both help provide for a long-term solution to fuel poverty through a major home improvement programme, and address the critical short-term needs of vulnerable households by providing social tariffs.

 

Consumer Focus and our partner organisations will continue to campaign to ensure this happens.

 

The Fuel Poverty Charter

 

This campaigning builds on the Fuel Poverty Charter, a call to action that was signed by various organisations in September 2008. The Charter sets out various steps that are needed to eradicate fuel poverty, including:

 

-        The Government must produce a fully-costed Fuel Poverty Plan that spells out exactly what measures the Government needs to take to meet its fuel poverty targets, how much these measures will cost and how they will be delivered.

 

-        The Government needs to invest in a major national programme to bring all properties up to a minimum energy efficiency standard of SAP 81 starting with the homes of the fuel poor. The SAP standard is an energy efficiency rating out of 100. SAP 81 would on average cut demand for heat by half, lifting the vast majority of households out of fuel poverty.

 

-        The establishing of a legal minimum energy efficiency standard for homes and buildings with future increases in this standard mapped out from the beginning. Households, particularly those on low incomes, must be given all the help they need to meet and surpass the standard and should be protected from landlords passing on costs directly to tenants

 

-        The Government should p rovide crisis payments to low income and vulnerable households to relieve immediate suffering.

 

-        The Government must work with local authorities and fund local voluntary and community organisations to ensure that all fuel poverty programmes provide a one-stop shop for recipients.

 

-        All energy companies should be required to offer social tariffs to their poorest and most vulnerable consumers.

 

-        The regulator OFGEM should be required ensure energy suppliers introduce tariffs that encourage investment in energy efficiency and renewable technologies by rewarding low consumption, whilst protecting vulnerable consumers such as older and disabled people from high fuel costs.

 

-        A renewable energy tariff should be introduced within one year, to financially reward households and communities that produce their own renewable energy and make sure low income consumers can benefit by installing renewable energy systems in their homes for free.

 

12 organisations have signed up to the Charter:

 

Age Concern

Centre for Sustainable Energy

Association for the Conservation of Energy

Help the Aged

Friends of the Earth

WWF

Barnado’s

Child Poverty Action Group

Disability Alliance

National Energy Action

National Right to Fuel Campaign

Consumer Focus