Friday 2nd December is Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, a campaign from National Energy Action UK to raise awareness of the issues, call for greater Government action and shine a spotlight on the existing support available to people in fuel poverty.
Independent charity Devon Communities Together is once again providing support and advice for hundreds of people across Devon as part of the Big Energy Saving Network, with its Energy Champion Martin Rich visiting community spaces and households throughout the county where he’s seeing people struggling more than ever this year with the soaring energy prices. So far, Martin has visited eight communities to deliver energy saving presentations, including Whimple, North Tawton and Teignmouth. He has also supported people with one-to-one support, either via home visits, online or over the phone. Martin is able to give advice on saving energy, managing fuel debt, accessing financial support, addressing condensation and dampness, accessing heating oil via Devon Oil Collective, greener energy alternatives and more.
A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if their property has an energy rating of D or below and when they have sufficiently heated their home they are left with a residual income below the official poverty line. This summer it was reported that Devon has higher levels of fuel poverty, 13%, compared to the national average of 10.6%1. This figure is likely to be growing as we head into winter. Data from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates that, nationally, around 27% of rural households could be affected by fuel poverty from January 2023 due to the current and predicted future energy price caps – that’s compared to 13% in 20202.
Housing in rural, coastal communities and market town communities can be older, poorly insulated, harder to heat and sometimes ‘off-grid’, where oil is used in place of gas. These factors exacerbate issues around energy affordability for rural households that can sometimes be overlooked because of the perceived wealth in rural communities compared to deprived urban areas.
Devon Communities Together’s Martin Rich explains: “Whilst there is a definition of fuel poverty, many people are struggling with energy costs long before they reach the official benchmark. The Government has agreed to intervene and has introduced several measures that offer some relief. We are providing information about this new help and how existing support has changed.
“We are seeing a much wider mix of people at our events this year, but, regrettably, those most in need do not always seek help. We ask people to be community ambassadors and use our briefing to help others in their communities. The soaring cost of living is reaching deep into our communities, with many more people having to look hard at their domestic budgets. Despite Government interventions, the impact of higher energy costs is putting people’s health and wellbeing at risk; people are worried. Coming together at one of our presentations encourages people to share ideas and work together to help each other. Our home visits and telephone helpline are there to support those who have concerns and cannot access a local presentation.”
To book a community energy saving presentation, for example in a Village Hall or Community Centre, or for confidential one-to-one advice including home visits, please contact Martin Rich: martin@devoncommunities.org.uk or call 07984 001542. All events and advice are completely free. Further information may be found here, including any upcoming community events: www.devoncommunities.org.uk/projects/big-energy-saving-network-0