Climate policies 'hit poor hardest'
12th July 2010
A Government advisory group has warned that people in fuel poverty will suffer the most from climate change policies - and will not benefit from efforts to cut energy use.
Energy bills have soared by a stunning 125% in the past six years, with the number of households in fuel poverty in England quadrupling as a result, according to the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.
Around 4.6 million households in England now use more than 10% of their income on heating their homes - the measure of being in fuel poverty.
It is also feared that gas and electricity prices could rise another 50% by 2020.
While the advisory group said investment in energy infrastructure and measures to reduce greenhouse gases were vital, the cost of these schemes was met mostly by consumers.
Increasing gas and electricity prices hit the poor hardest, while the future of grants to tackle the problem of fuel poverty - such as the Warm Front scheme - remains uncertain.
Meanwhile the Government's plans for a "green deal" scheme to help boost the energy efficiency of homes, with the work to install measures such as insulation paid for by savings on bills, would not work for the poorest.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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