Fuel poverty in England has not improved in recent years.
The Committee on Fuel Poverty’s 2024 Annual Report reveals that the percentage of households in fuel poverty was 13% in 2023, nearly the same as 13.1% in 2022.
The report suggests that the pandemic may have obscured the lack of progress in reducing fuel poverty.
It calls for targeted financial support and a review of the Low Income, Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, which may not fully capture the current situation.
The report also emphasises the need for effective energy efficiency programmes.
It criticises the move away from a ‘fabric first’ approach, which focuses on improving household insulation before adding low carbon heating systems.
The Committee warns that without rapid progress in improving energy efficiency in the private rented sector, efforts to end fuel poverty will be undermined.
Vulnerable groups, including ethnic minority households and those using prepayment meters, are particularly at risk.
Chair Caroline Flint noted that while fuel poverty decreased for nearly a decade starting in 2010, there has been no meaningful decline in the past five years.
Ms Flint highlighted that the stability of energy prices in the 2010s led to an optimistic view that progress would continue, which has not been realised.
