National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Fuel poverty after the Energy Review

Caroline Heijne

National Right to Fuel Campaign

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Fuel Poverty and Climate Change

• Emphasis on addressing climate change

• Social justice is a major element, high on the agenda

• Consequences of not addressing climate change were so severe that this cannot be avoided

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Win, win, win

• Address the reality of sustainable development, to get win, win, win situation, meeting environmental, social and economic objectives

• Need significant increases in measures to end fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Action on all fronts

• On energy efficiency both in housing and in appliances and products

• Increasing microgeneration and renewables

• Maintaining income and benefits support

• Fuel price initiatives 

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Housing Standards

• Focus on housing standards inadequate to meet the challenge

• Regulations and standards need to be raised massively

• Development of large scale schemes seldom put issues of energy efficiency and sustainability at the heart of the process

• EcoHomes “Very Good” standard – will benefit low income households, given that most RSL tenants are low income, but limited by only applying to new homes

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Microgeneration and Renewables

• Increasing microgeneration and renewables necessary actions

• Successful work on solar hot water heating installations and selling microgeneration equipment to residents

• More varied and decentralised approach to generation and supply of electricity

• No additional money to solve problems associated with “hard to heat” homes, often inhabited by low income and potentially vulnerable households

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Income support

• Income measures needed to support those living in fuel poverty prior to work improving home energy efficiency

• Current increases were not enough to meet the rise in fuel prices.

• Over 70s target group – a welcome but very limited response to the range of groups likely to suffer fuel poverty

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Fuel prices

• Action on fuel prices were a key aspect of the current problem for the fuel poverty targets

•  Ofgem role in development of initiatives on fuel pricing and services, specifically for low income and vulnerable households

• UK energy market changes to provide energy services and management to UK households, reducing pressure on UK suppliers to increase fuel sales

• Wait and see for action, but nothing on rising prices or help for fuel poor

• 10% increase of domestic fuel prices for carbon costs

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Co-operation

• Cross-departmental working and co-ordination - a key factor for effective action

• Government ministers, and officials, perceived as seeing different aspects of agenda in conflict, not complementary

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Targets and duties

• Propose PSA for ending fuel poverty and carbon emissions reductions for the new DCLG.

• Local Authorities in key position to ensure local delivery of national strategies and policies

• Duties for local authorities on fuel poverty and climate change

• Awaiting Local Government White Paper for proposals

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

Links with others

• Links between government departments and voluntary sector to improve delivery of national targets

• Adequate resourcing for local agencies

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

No real change, then

• No new money

• No new regulation or targets

• No widening of remits for energy efficiency programmes

National RIGHT TO FUEL CampaignCampaigning for a warm dry well lit home for all

About us

• Campaign formed in 1975 in response to record level of fuel disconnections and rising hardship experienced by low income households triggered by major increases in fuel prices

• Campaign aims to put an end to fuel poverty by securing a dry warm and well lit home for all irrespective of income or location

• Membership broad based, includes local authority departments, local advice agencies, energy businesses, housing organisations

• Campaign is an entirely independent organisation• Join us