The impacts of fuel poverty

Thousands of people die every year due to cold and damp homes – an average of 7,400 each winter over the past decade. With fuel poverty on the rise, numbers are likely to keep going up.

The UK has the worst levels of fuel poverty in Northern Europe, leading to high rates of ill-health and “excess” winter deaths.

We also have some of the coldest, mouldiest housing in Europe. In a country with the 6th largest economy in the world, millions of us suffer energy starvation.

Households struggle to put money on their prepayment meter cards or keys and are forced to self-disconnect, leaving them in the dark and cold.

Lives at risk

Fuel poverty has a direct and devastating impact on public health, and sees thousands of hospital admissions.

Seven in ten health workers surveyed said that they regularly see patients going without energy in their homes because they are unable to afford bills.

68% of UK health workers say high energy bills contribute to avoidable hospital admissions. 

45% per cent have sent patients home knowing that their housing situation would make them ill again.

Cold, damp and mouldy homes can worsen cardiovascular diseases, respiratory conditions, dementia and hypothermia and slow down recovery from injury. Illnesses linked to cold, damp homes cost the NHS more than £2.5 billion a year according to the Institute of Health Equity.

Record breaking temperatures in summer increasingly threaten lives due to lack of cooling, too.

Children and older people

Fuel poverty is particularly dangerous for children and older people.

Older people are more likely to live with health problems that can get worse in cold, damp living conditions. Age UK recommends that older people heat their homes to a bit warmer – 21°C – to stay safe and well.

3 in 4 people aged 66 and over said that they were cold in their own homes this winter, according to Age UK. On top of this, vital lifelines are being cut: Labour’s decision to means test the winter fuel payment means around 1.2 million people in absolute and relative poverty have lost £300 support.

Children are in more danger from black mould. Over 30,000 children are admitted to hospital annually with lung conditions caused or exacerbated by cold, damp and mould.Indirect impacts of cold homes include lower rates of educational attainment in school, and a strain on young people’s mental health.

The British Medical Journal reports that “children growing up in cold, damp, and mouldy homes with inadequate ventilation have higher than average rates of respiratory infections and asthma, chronic ill health, and disability. They are also more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and slower physical growth and cognitive development.”

Disability

The day-to-day lives of many disabled people are severely affected, too. A third of disabled adults say their impairment or condition has a significant impact on their energy usage. Sky-high prices meant that many disabled people are not using heating, even when cold, and more than a third are cutting back on food and skipping meals.

Government cuts to disability benefits will cause even more suffering. It’s estimated that, due to the Government’s proposed Personal Independence (PIP) cuts, between 800,000 and 1.2 million Disabled people will lose between £4200 and £6300 a year by 2029 to 2030.

Mental health

The surroundings we live in have a huge impact on our wellbeing. Fuel poverty can mean doing less of the activities you enjoy, getting poorer sleep and not enough food. It can make us feel like we are surviving day to day, rather than enjoying our lives.

Constant mental maths and worrying about the costs of appliances can take up a lot of mental energy, and not being able to heat more than one or two rooms can make our worlds feel very small.

There is no shame in suffering in fuel poverty and energy debt. The shame lies with the energy firms profiting at our expense and paying bumper bonuses and massive dividends.

The shame lies with the ‘regulators’ who let the energy companies get away with it.

And the shame lies with successive governments who have neglected their most important duty: to keep people safe. They should hang their heads that their constituents live in cold, damp homes in dire need of upgrades and worry about heating food and keeping loved ones warm, while they hand £billions in subsidies to risky, unproven schemes

Instead of investing properly in cheap renewables or the green skills we need to bring our homes up to standard, the government has been axing vital protections. Their cut to the Winter Fuel Payment for 2.5 million low-income pensioners has likely caused thousands of deaths.

Fuel poverty is a political choice. Fuel Poverty Action won’t stop until we’ve made politicians do their job and ensure everyone has the sustainable energy they need to live happy, healthy lives.