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New report finds 7.7 million UK households are expected to struggle with heating bills this winter

The Government is being urged to take action.

Emily Sergeant - 2nd October 2024

Around 7.7 million UK households are likely to struggle with affording to pay their heating bills this winter, a new report has found.

According to new research published by the Resolution Foundation yesterday (1 October), a shocking 37% of all households in England suffered fuel stress within the past 12 months, and that situation was found to be the most stark for single parent households – with it meaning that three in four (77%) are likely to struggle with payments this upcoming winter.

56% of couples with children are also likely to experience fuel stress, the report found, which is more than twice the rate seen among households with pensioners at 24%.

These statistics were all revealed through the organisation’s ‘Cold Comfort’ study.

‘Cold Comfort’ examines the extent of fuel stress – which is defined as families needing to spend more than 10% of their income, after housing costs, on heating their homes – across Britain, and looks at how policy can support these households.

New RF analysis reveals how non-pensioners, especially families with children, are more likely than pensioners to be in fuel stress.

Read ‘Cold comfort’ now ⤵️ https://t.co/6cWkmQhWOx pic.twitter.com/tYVPN5SMKN

— Resolution Foundation (@resfoundation) October 2, 2024

The organisation says the study is particularly relevant in the context of the Government‘s recent decision to end the universal Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) for pensioners.

The decision to scale back on the WFP – which were first introduced back in 1997 – means one million pensioners will be no longer eligible for the payment, and this is therefore expected to create financial hardship for some low-income pensioners, which is why Resolution Foundation’s report is calling on the Chancellor to introduce new support in her upcoming Budget that will look to help all households experiencing fuel stress.

Under the current scheme, WFP recipients are automatically given a £25 payment when their local temperatures drop below freezing for a week or more.

As these particular payments are not only tied to income via benefit eligibility, but also to energy consumption as a function of being conditional on local temperature, the organisation is suggesting to the Government that this existing scheme could be expanded, both by increasing eligibility and by raising the temperature at which payments are triggered.

Several other measures have also been suggested by the organisation as potential recommendations for the Government.

Alex Clegg, who is the Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said these stark statistics illustrate how “poorly targeted Winter Fuel Payments are”, and why “alternative support” will be needed this winter.

“Couples with children are more than twice as likely to experience fuel stress as pensioner households,” they explained, “so any new support should not be limited to pensioners.”

“Reforming and expanding Cold Weather Payments offers a viable quick-fix solution to help keep households warm when the mercury drops this winter, but looking beyond this winter, the Government should prioritise developing a social tariff and investing in energy efficiency for our homes.

Read more:

• 16 million people could be ‘forced’ to turn their heating off this autumn
• New survey reveals almost half of all British households were ‘too scared to put the heating on’ last winter
• ‘Freezing’ Bury woman died from hypothermia after refusing to turn heating on

“This would help to ensure that vulnerable families are insulated from future energy shocks, whatever their age or circumstances.”

Featured Image – Pixabay