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4.5m homes 'facing fuel poverty'
Around 4.5 million homes struggle to pay their fuel bills and need more help from the Government, according to a report. The UK Fuel Poverty Monitor said energy efficiency programmes had not helped enough low income families in England.
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Govt 'doing everything' it can to tackle fuel poverty
The Government is "doing everything within its power" to combat fuel poverty, according to a spokesperson for the department of Energy and Climate Change
The spokesman claimed the Energy Companies Obligation scheme, extra funds for energy efficiency programmes and the winter fuel allowance would help those who could not afford to heat their homes.
'Invest in old and cold housing' to combat fuel poverty
The Government needs to make fuel efficiency programmes more widely available if it is to tackle fuel poverty, according to experts.
National Energy Action (NEA) chief executive Jenny Saunders called on the Coalition to "invest in old and cold housing":
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4.5m 'living in fuel poverty' in UK warn experts
An estimated 4.5 million UK homes are living in fuel poverty and the Government is not doing enough to tackle the crisis, according to a report.
The UK Fuel Poverty Monitor (FPM) those living in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland were more likely to struggle with fuel poverty but they also had greater access to energy efficiency measures.
The average investment on energy efficiency programmes for low income households in England was just £3.52 per electricity customer, compared to £36.48 in Scotland, £31.31 in Wales and £27.55 in Northern Ireland, the report stated.
Homes eligible for assistance with insulation and other energy saving costs were not receiving it because the measures were too costly or potential customers were being asked for a contribution they could not afford, FPM said.