Decisive Action Needed To Tackle Fuel Poverty, Says Independent Charitable Trust

A new report, ‘Towards an end to fuel poverty in Britain’ launched this week and presented at The House of Commons by the British Gas Energy Trust, an independent charity solely funded by British Gas, to industry leaders and politicians, sets out clear recommendations towards eradicating fuel poverty.

It calls for sizeable efforts and urgent action from the government, industry and public sector organisations to work towards a unified roadmap to eradicate fuel poverty in the long-term.

With official statistics showing the number of fuel poor households nearly doubling from 4.3 million to 8.9 million between 2020 and 2024, the actions put forward in the report are geared towards driving long-term change.

The key actions include:
Lengthening funding periods – Expanding funding cycles to three to five years to enable charitable organisations to offer sustained support with meaningful impact.

Establishing social tariffs – Implementing an affordable, universally accessible social tariff to lift the financial burden on lower-income, vulnerable customers.

Standardising national tariffs – Removing regional price variations and standardising tariffs nationally to create a fairer, transparent energy system.

Enhancing energy efficient homes – Scaling up insulation programmes and better targeted support for the poorest households.

Mandating energy efficiency standards for rented properties – Strengthen rental regulations to drive energy efficiency and enforce penalties for non-compliance.

Encouraging better budget management – Promoting financial literacy around household budgeting and energy use.

Maximising income support – Raising awareness around debt management and benefits to ensure accessible financial relief.

Prioritising funding for frontline organisations – Directing resources to community groups with established support networks for low-income families.

Fostering cross-sector collaboration and data sharing – Encourage data-sharing protocols among public, private, and non-profit sectors to improve service delivery, reduce duplication of support, and enable early intervention for households at risk.

Developing a unified long-term strategy to eliminate fuel poverty – Ensure everyone from the Government to industry and organisations representing the public to act in tandem towards a unified roadmap that eradicates poverty in Britain.

The report follows extensive consultation, which found that those who are already marginalised in society, including people living with disabilities, unpaid carers, rural households, the digitally excluded among others who are most likely to be impacted.

Over 140 organisations contributed to the report findings by participation in a series of seven in-person discursive roundtables.

Key figures consulted include leaders from British Gas alongside housing associations, local authority representatives and civil society organisations including Citizen’s Advice, Age UK, Mencap, The Big Issue Group and Money & Mental Health Policy Institutes. Insights were also captured from grassroot organisations embedded in some of the country’s most economically challenged communities around the country.

Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive Officer of British Gas Energy Trust, said:
“Sizeable efforts to alleviate fuel poverty are essential. I’ve spent a career in the third sector, working with young people, children with disabilities, volunteers and those living in care, but if you don't work in civil society or are not directly impacted by it in your own life, it is incredibly difficult to appreciate the scale, depth and complexity of poverty faced by so many.

“The work we did this year took us into communities up and down the country that are most affected by fuel poverty. The insights collated in our report look to ensure that fuel poverty isn’t just alleviated in the here and now, but also eliminated in the future.”

Find the full report here