
|4 minute read
Doing our bit to help tackle fuel poverty

Steve Heywood, media manager
Over the past several years we have been working hard to help our customers who are in fuel poverty, or who are in danger of falling into fuel poverty.
We have focused on improving the efficiency of our homes, which is helping reduce our customers’ bills.
We have worked alongside specialists in fuel poverty to provide effective guidance and signposting. This has been in addition to the ongoing work that our Financial Inclusion team does in helping customers to save money on the energy bills.
At the same time, we have been putting pressure on successive Governments and energy suppliers to change their policies and practices.
For example, we have called on energy suppliers to remove standing charges from the most vulnerable households, or at least reduce them.
We have also urged energy providers to ensure a customer known to be on a higher tariff be moved to a better tariff. Also, for them to simplify the process and information around switching tariffs.
We have joined a growing number of organisations calling for the return of social tariffs.
We also support the call to improve the Warm Home Discount to cover anyone on a low income, regardless of usage. Currently it is based on high energy use.
We know that changing these policies and practices takes time.
However, we were delighted in 2023 when the UK government brought in the Energy Price Guarantee, which means prepayment customers no longer pay more per unit (kWh) than direct debit customers, which we’d been calling for since 2021.
There are currently 6.1 million people in the UK in fuel poverty. A very small but unhealthy proportion of our customers make up part of this worrying number.
We are continuing to do all we can to directly help alleviate fuel poverty. We need others to be as committed to do the same.