UK Fuel Poverty Monitor Survey 2021

The Fuel Poverty Monitor, a joint investigative report on fuel poverty in the UK between Energy Action Scotland (EAS) and National Energy Actopm (NEA) has launched its annual survey.  

The UK Government recently committed to introduce one of the world’s most ambitious climate change targets, cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. The target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, as well as significant cuts before 2035, will present major changes in how we all live our lives and dramatic shifts in the energy system that underpins them.

The next decade will see a focus on how to decarbonise heat in homes. This key topic had a significant focus in the recent UK Government Energy White Paper and is the focus of the upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy. As well as opportunities to accelerate progress to end cold homes, decarbonising heat could also prompt multiple challenges. This year’s Fuel Poverty Monitor will analyse the risks and opportunities for fuel poor households of decarbonising heat. To do this, we are running a call for evidence with key stakeholders to understand views regarding:

• The barriers and opportunities for putting affordability and fairness at the heart of the heat transition
• The impacts on fuel poor households of the transition to net zero and the decarbonisation of heat
• Mechanisms to provide greater transparency so that any distributional impacts on low income and vulnerable households are explored in a consistent and regular manner by the UK Government and across each UK nation
• Potential interventions so that once identified, current and future negative distributional impacts can be effectively mitigated, helping to put affordability and fairness at the heart of the heat transition

The findings of this survey will inform its upcoming report later this Autumn and for the more immediate purpose of feeding the findings back to the industry, governments and regulators at a key time of active policy development:

• The UK Government have announced they will shortly undertake a BEIS Affordability Review on consumer funding, fairness and affordability
• HM Treasury will publish their ‘Net Zero Review’ in September
• The Scottish Government has committed to publishing a new Fuel Poverty strategy by end December 2021
• Finally, England’s updated fuel poverty strategy, the new Welsh Government Fuel Poverty Plan and the draft framework for new the NI Energy Strategy’ offer key opportunities to engage the devolved nations to embed the links between addressing fuel poverty and meeting net zero carbon targets.

It is therefore a critical time to be influencing how to put affordability and fairness at the heart of the UK’s energy transformation to net zero. In aggregate, we hope our work will provide a platform to strengthen political consensus, accelerate efforts to net zero whilst setting out credible actions that can put affordability and fairness at the heart of the UK’s energy transformation.

The survey can be completed within 20 minutes but could take longer if you have the time to input more detailed information in the comment boxes at the start. Here, you will have the opportunity to share any ways in which you have adapted as an organisation to better help households during this crisis.

You can access the survey here: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/FPM2021

If possible, please respond by close of play on: 31 August 2020. Once you leave the survey platform you will not be able to re-enter.