Campaigns

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2022

Friday 2 December is National Energy Action’s (NEA) Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2022.

With energy bills having more than doubled since last year, it’s estimated that 6.7 million homes in the UK are now in fuel poverty. This number is set to increase to over eight million by April 2023.

What is the definition of fuel poverty?

It varies slightly depending on where you live.

In England, you’re considered to be in fuel poverty if:

the property you live in has an energy efficiency rating of band D or below and
after paying heating bills, your residual income (the amount of money left over after paying bills or other outgoings) is below the official poverty line.

In Scotland, you’re considered to be in fuel poverty if:

your fuel costs are more than 10% of your household’s net income and
after deducting these costs, disability benefits and childcare costs, your remaining income is not enough to maintain an acceptable standard of living.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, you’re considered to be in fuel poverty if:

you need to spend more than 10% of your household income on fuel to heat your home to a satisfactory standard.

Support and advice

There’s lots of advice and information on our website about the energy crisis and tips to help you save energy.

Below are some extra resources to support you with your fuel bills based on where you live.

The UK Government’s website has information on benefits and financial support if you’re on a low income. This includes information on the Warm Home Discount Scheme and Winter Fuel Payment.

You can also find ways to save energy in your home or call the UK Government’s help line on 0800 098 7950. This line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm.

Citizens Advice can also offer you support with the cost of living.

London

If you live in London, we’ve teamed up with the Greater London Authority to set up Energy Advice London. This service gives you information on the financial support you could get to help you pay your energy bills. You can also find local support in your borough.

There’s a freephone advice line you can call on 0808 196 8260. This line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays). You can also get in touch with the service by filling out this form.

South Yorkshire, Humber and North Lincolnshire

We work in partnership with Northern Powergrid, providing advice to its customers on saving energy and reducing energy bills.

The advice team can also signpost you to other organisations that may be able to provide extra support, such as money management advice and health and wellbeing guidance.

Vulnerable people can also be added to Northern Powergrid’s priority service membership to access extra support during power cuts.

You can call the advice team on freephone 0808 196 8256. This line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
In Wales, the Welsh Government’s Warm Homes Nest scheme provides support through free, impartial advice. It can also offer eligible households free home energy efficiency improvements.

You can call Nest’s advice team on freephone 0808 808 2244. This line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm (excluding bank holidays).

Nest’s support page has further advice for Welsh households on lowering energy bills, where to find out if you’re able to get extra support from the government and further support services that you might need. This page is available in both Welsh and English.
Home Energy Scotland (HES), which is funded by the Scottish Government, is a network of local advice centres covering all of Scotland. HES helps people in Scotland create warmer homes, reduce their energy bills and lower their carbon footprint.

HES’s advisors can refer you to programmes that could help you with funding and improvements to heat your home more efficiently, as well as provide you with a range of energy saving tips to stay warmer at home for less.

HES also has several links to partners and other organisations that can help you if you urgently need financial, welfare or debt support.

Other ways we’ve supported people

Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme

Ofgem appointed us to distribute payments from companies that may have breached Ofgem rules. This is called the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme.

The scheme provides funding to registered charities, community interest companies, co-operative societies and community benefit societies to help them deliver energy related projects that benefit people in England, Scotland and Wales.

Many of the projects funded by the scheme support vulnerable households to save energy and money in their homes with advice, support and direct interventions. Find out if any projects have been funded in your area.

Energy Redress Scheme grantees include:

Last updated: 21 March 2023

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2022

What is the definition of fuel poverty?

How can disabled people get help with their energy bills?

Support and advice

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Other ways we’ve supported people

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