Today is National Fuel Poverty Awareness Day.
With the ongoing effects of Covid-19, rising energy prices and benefits cuts, this could be the worst winter for vulnerable energy customers in years.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is organised by the charity National Energy Action (NEA) which campaigns to end fuel poverty and highlights what support is needed to help people stay warm, safe and well this winter.
We want to take the opportunity to share information provided by the NEA which can point you towards help, suggest ways to cut energy costs and help you maximise your energy.
...that's 14% of all UK households.
A household is defined as being in fuel poverty when its members cannot afford to keep adequately warm at a reasonable cost, given their income.
Fuel poverty causes needless death, physical and mental ill-health, damaged life chances and further strain on health services. The NEA estimates that more than 12,000 people die each year from health conditions arising or worsening from having a cold home.
Fuel poverty can be alleviated by improving a households income and their ability to pay bills, reducing fuel costs, reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.
You can find our list of simple ways to cut down on energy bills in this post.
In the leaflet below, learn about where to find help with your bills, how to get the most out of your energy and how to stay safe this winter.
Knowing how to control heat around your home will help you cut energy costs and only use heat where it's needed. Find out more below.
If you use at least 40% of your energy at night, then it could be a good idea to use Economy 7 - a time-of-use electricity tariff which provides cheaper off-peak electricity for 7 hours. It's usually only beneficial to homes with storage heaters. You can find more information in the leaflet.
Being behind on payments can be frightening, but there is lots of help out there.
We made a list of places you can find help in this post, ranging from government schemes, assistance from your energy provider and help from charities.
We hope this helps. If you have a question or concern about your debt, or are seeking extra support, just get in touch and our friendly team will be happy to help.
