Many are forced to make the critical decision between heating and eating during the winter months. 

For 25,000 older people each year this decision is fatal. Fuel poverty is thought to be a main cause of excess winter deaths.

What does fuel poverty mean?

A household is deemed to be fuel poor when it needs to spend more than 10 per cent of its income on fuel in order to heat its home to an adequate standard of warmth.

What causes fuel poverty?

There are three main causes of fuel poverty:

• low income;
• housing that is not energy-efficient; and
• fuel prices.

Why do we need to lobby Government?

The Government has admitted that it’s likely to miss its target to eradicate fuel poverty for the vulnerable by 2010. It is also likely to miss it's overall target to end fuel poverty in households by 2016. We believe this is unacceptable.

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What we want
Read a summary of our 10 Point Fuel Poverty Charter.

What we are doing
Find out about the work we are doing on this issue.

What you can do
Make your voice heard, find out how to keep warm in winter, and calculate whether fuel poverty affects you.