Thousands in fuel poverty when energy crisis began
One in nine households in Portsmouth was in fuel poverty when the energy crisis began two years ago, new figures show.
But the National Energy Action said the data ‘only tells part of the story’ as the energy crisis has worsened over the past two years.
Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 10,411 households in Portsmouth were in fuel poverty in 2021 – 11.8 per cent of homes in the area.
Energy prices increased significantly towards the end of 2021 with many suppliers in the UK going out of business. By the end of December 2021, 28 energy companies had closed their doors.
The proportion of homes living in fuel poverty in
Portsmouth was down from 2020, when 12.5% of households struggled to heat their homes.
A household is considered to be fuel poor if they are living in a property with an energy efficiency rating of band D or below and their disposable income, after paying housing and energy costs, is below the official poverty line.
In Gosport, 3,008 households – 8.2% of homes in the area – were in fuel poverty in 2021 (9.1 per cent in 2020).
In Fareham, 2,998 households – 6% of homes - were in fuel poverty in 2021 (6.4 per cent in 2020).
And in Havant, 4,203 households – 7.7% of homes were in fuel poverty in 2021 (9 per cent in 2020).
The data showed 42,161 households in Hampshire were in fuel poverty in 2021 – 7% of homes in the area, down from 7.4% in 2020.
Nationally, about 3.2 million households in England (13.1%) were in fuel poverty two years ago. The West Midlands had the highest level of households struggling to heat their homes at 18.5%.
In the South East, which covers Portsmouth and surrounding areas, 8.4 per cent households were in fuel poverty.
The worst hit areas were Birmingham (23.2%), Stoke (22.9%), and Wolverhampton (21.8%).
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said the Government has covered ‘around half ’ of the typical household’s energy bill over the winter.
They added: ‘Our financial support, together with progress made in delivering energy efficiency measures, has prevented a significant increase in fuel poverty.’