The average unaffordable cost in households considered “fuel poor” rose from £233 in 2020 to £338 in 2022 – a 45% increase – despite the energy cap, lower wholesale gas and electricity prices and improved energy efficiency, analysis found.
As many as 38,476 homes will be left cold.
The West Midlands has 5,150 households which cannot afford the energy bills and the area’s fuel poverty rate is 18.5%.
There are 5,122 North West households struggling to afford heat and light, with a similar fuel poverty rate – while the North East has the highest fuel poverty rate of 19% and 5,008 households unable to afford enough energy.
The average fuel poverty gap is measured by measuring the cut in fuel costs needed for a household to avoid fuel poverty.
In 2022, there were some 3.2 million households in fuel poverty, up by 13% on 2021. The analysis examined fuel poverty ratings, energy efficiency plus gas and electric ratings regionally to determine which households are hit hardest when it comes to bills.
Johanna Lueders, founder of heating firm Snugel which did the research, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating impact.
“Many people are struggling to heat their homes leading to an increase in the number of Warm Banks, with more people requiring warm public spaces they can visit when they are unable to afford heating costs.”
Launched by a coalition of charities, the Warm Welcome campaign helps churches, community groups, firms and councils set up the sites – for people who lack properly heated homes. More than 4,200 organisations are registered with the campaign and the figure is growing daily.
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2023-11-13 22:01:00