With energy bills rising again in January, the UK has been in an energy crisis for over four years, leaving millions of households struggling to afford to heat and power their homes. These are people living in cold, damp homes, cutting back on essentials and mired in energy debt. Many of these households have children in them.
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Fuel Poverty Awareness Day
National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is an opportunity to highlight the impacts of fuel poverty on children. Taking place on Wednesday, the same day as the Autumn Budget, Fuel Poverty Awareness Day will shine a light on the plight of these children and how their health, comfort and life chances are put at risk, simply from living in a cold home.
On the day, National Energy Action and supporters will highlight the experiences of children who live in cold homes, campaign for more support and highlight the solutions to fuel poverty. Find out more: www.nea.org.uk/who-we-are/nea-campaigns/fpad/
Polling shows how fuel poverty affects children
Recent National Energy Action polling finds that seven in 10 (68%) parents with children under 16 reported being worried about energy costs this upcoming winter, compared to 61% of people with no children⁴. One in five (20%) of parents with children under 16 say it is likely they will go into debt to pay for energy bills this winter, compared to 13% of people with no children.
National Energy Action Chief Executive Adam Scorer says, ‘Living in fuel poverty as a child is a terrible start to life. It means your fingers going numb while you try to do your homework, it means sleeping in a damp and mouldy room, it means a home you don’t want to invite your friends round to.
‘Some children are growing up in homes where this is the norm and has been the norm for years. The damage that living like this can do to their health and future life chances cannot be overstated.
‘We’re focusing this year’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on the 6 million children living in fuel poverty in the UK because they and their families desperately need more support to help them out of this mire.’
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Insights from clients helped by National Energy Action
National Energy Action’s insights from our client group show, of the households who we helped in 2024 to 25⁵:
- 47.2% had a child under 16 (over half of which (51%) had a child under five in the home)
- 76.6% were surviving on an income of less than £16,286 a year.
- 75% were single parents. When we look at the single parents that we supported, 82% were living on an income of less than £16,286 a year and over half had a child under five.
- Of the clients with children, 62% had someone in living in the household with one or more physical/mental health conditions or disabilities.
How the Chancellor could help in the Budget
The upcoming Budget presents a significant opportunity to provide support for households to make energy more affordable and give more households the opportunity to live in warm, safe homes. Three ways through which the Chancellor could do this are:
- Providing direct financial support to lower energy bills
- Reducing the energy debt burden
- Launch the Warm Homes Plan and provide support for households who experienced failed insulation in legacy schemes
