Friday 27 November 2020 was  Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2020 .

Figures published by National Energy Action (NEA) state that around 4 million households in the UK are in fuel poverty, unable to live in a warm dry home.

Most of us would think of fuel poverty as simply not being able to afford to keep your home warm. However, the official definition states: a household is said to be fuel poor if it has above-average energy costs, and if paying those costs would push it below the poverty line as far as its remaining income was concerned. 

There are 3 important elements in determining whether a household is fuel poor:

• household income
• household energy requirements
• fuel prices

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics

The energy efficiency of your home will also impact on your fuel costs and can be another factor contributing to fuel poverty.

How can you and your organisation help?

Visit the NEA Fuel Poverty Awareness Day Webpage for information about how you can get involved in supporting those facing Fuel Poverty.

If you are struggling to pay your fuel bills

For information and support on the following issues, The Citizen's Advice Bureau has  comprehensive webpages: 

• A problem with your fuel bill
• Struggling to pay your fuel bill
• How to switch energy providers
• Problems with your supply
• Problems with your meter (including pre-payment meters)

The following organisations and projects also provide information and support:

Derbyshire County Council - Keep Warm in Winter

Warmer Derby & Derbyshire

Citizen's Advice Derbyshire Branches

Rural Action Derbyshire

Derbyshire Community Hub

The Money Advice Service

Turn2Us

StepChange

Derbyshire County Council has also produced the Healthy, Warm and Well Booklet for the general public. If you would like any hard copies of the booklet, please email [email protected] with your request.

Information for frontline workers

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau offers training sessions for frontline workers to increase awareness of issues surrounding the provision and cost of energy – meaning that your staff and volunteers can provide a more holistic service to customers and clients

For more information, please follow this link, or to discuss further, please contact:

[email protected]

07562 687876

If your job role requires you to support households struggling with fuel poverty, National Energy Action have a number of resources that are available for you to download;

NEA Warm and Safe Homes Action Guides

Information leaflets for frontline workers

NEA Community Action Partnership Resources

 The NEA publishes the UK Fuel Poverty Monitor.  For this year's report which focuses on the impact of Covid-19, please follow the link below:

The UK Fuel Poverty Monitor