Call for an end to fuel poverty
A coalition of campaigners will call for an end to the "scandal" of fuel poverty.A charter drawn up by anti-poverty, energy, environmental and health groups calls on the Government and political parties to commit to making all "fuel poor" homes as energy-efficient as a home built today.
They warn the Government that it will fail to meet its target to end fuel poverty by 2016 under its current strategy, saying numbers could increase to a record high.
The coalition, including Age Concern and Help the Aged, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Child Poverty Action Group and Consumer Focus, said many of the estimated 6.6 million UK households struggling to afford to heat and power were risking their health by cutting back on heating or other essentials.
Consumer Focus energy expert Jonathan Stearn said: "It should be a right, not a privilege, for everybody to have a warm, dry home that they can afford to heat.
"The main political parties have all exchanged rhetoric on the importance of ending fuel poverty but what we need now is concerted action. Any political party serious about ending the hardship millions of fuel poor households are facing must commit to make fuel poor homes as energy efficient as those built today."
The coalition said it was worried about the "confusing and uncoordinated" range of energy efficiency schemes and a lack of measurable targets. It said many more vulnerable people would be pushed in to fuel poverty unless an improved national energy efficiency scheme was introduced.
A commitment to making homes as energy efficient as a house built today could reduce energy bills by up to 70% and cut carbon emissions by as much as 59%, the group said.
"The main political parties have all exchanged rhetoric on the importance of ending fuel poverty but what we need now is concerted action. Any political party serious about ending the hardship millions of fuel poor households are facing must commit to make fuel poor homes as energy efficient as those built today."
The coalition said it was worried about the "confusing and uncoordinated" range of energy efficiency schemes and a lack of measurable targets. It said many more vulnerable people would be pushed in to fuel poverty unless an improved national energy efficiency scheme was introduced.
A commitment to making homes as energy efficient as a house built today could reduce energy bills by up to 70% and cut carbon emissions by as much as 59%, the group said.
© 2012 Press Association