Millions of UK people suffer from fuel poverty
18/05/2015
Millions of people in the UK are not able to top up their gas and electricity pre-paid meters, leaving them without power or heating, according to research from Debt Advisory Centre.
The research showed that a quarter of people are reliant on pre-paid meters in their homes as they have had problems paying their bills in the past. Out of these people, 4 million of them can often not afford to top up their meters, with 18% claiming that they are cut-off from their gas meter every few months, while as many as 7% lose their gas supply at least once a week because they can’t afford to top-up the energy key.
Residents in the East Midlands are struggling the most, according to the research, with 63% regularly unable to top-up their gas meters. Residents in the West Midlands and East Midlands had the highest rate of fuel poverty, according to the Government’s Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics Report 2014.
Melanie Taylor, a spokeswoman for Debt Advisory Centre, said:
“It’s alarming to see how many families are struggling with fuel poverty. As customers on pre-paid meters typically pay more each year for their energy, this means that often, the poorest and most vulnerable people are paying the highest prices. We would like to see more help given to these people so they can switch on to better deals and climb out of fuel poverty.”
Households that spend more than 10% of their income on fuel to keep their home in a satisfactory condition are considered to be in fuel poverty.
Need financial advice?
If you have any personal finance questions related to this news article, then please contact our financial advisers. You can get in touch by asking a question online, calling us on 0800 092 1245, or by arranging a visit.
Share this..
Related stories
Record £63 million compensation bill lands on nPower mat
UK energy giant nPower has this week been hit with a £63 million compensation bill in relation to errors in the company's computerised billing system in 2007. It is believed that as a consequence of these errors a number of gas customers were charged for fuel which they did not use with the situation only coming to light some time later. So what has nPower agreed to do? The company has agreed...
Read MoreSmart meters will only save £26 a year on energy bills
10/09/2014 Smart meters, which are due to be installed into every home in Britain by 2020, will only save consumers 2%, or £26, on their annual bills. The Public Accounts Committee, a committee who look into parliaments spending, have advised that even though the smart meters may help consumers reduce their energy consumption, they will only save 2% on their bills annually. Installing the m...
Read MoreThe Daily Mail looks at private prosecutions against MPs
In a startling development in the MP's expenses saga it has been revealed that the Daily Mail newspaper has teamed up with The Taxpayer's Alliance in a bid to raise significant funds to pursue a number of private prosecutions against a band of MPs. It seems as though the Daily Mail action has been taken after police expressed concern about pursuing politically motivated criminal investigations in...
Read MoreIs it time to tighten your budget belt again?
Over the last few days it has become more and more apparent that many households in the UK are struggling to maintain current income levels. Aside from the fact that wage inflation is something of a rarity in the UK it is the fact that UK retail inflation continues to remain uncomfortably high which is also beginning to affect the relative spending power of UK households. As a consequence it is...
Read MoreOfwat rejects Thames Water bill rise
12/11/2013 Water industry regulator, Ofwat, has rejected a planned increase in the in water prices by Thames Water, stating that it is ‘not convinced an extra bill increase is justified’. Thames Water wanted to add £29 to the annual bill of all of its customers in London and the south of England, of which there an estimated 14 million. The reason for this increased bill was the planned...
Read More