Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2024: the importance of solid fuel 

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (FPAD) is 27 November 2024. The team at HETAS want to highlight the important part solid fuel can play in helping tackle fuel poverty, whilst raising awareness of the impact that fuel poverty has on over six million households across the UK. 

Every home, household, and situation is different. This means that someone may not be aware they are in fuel poverty and many people are not aware of how widespread fuel poverty is. 

Stoke-on-Trent is the most fuel poor in England 

Recent statistics show that Stoke-on-Trent is now the local authority most affected by fuel poverty in England, with 24.7% of households in fuel poverty in 2022 – an increase of 1.8% on the prior year. 

Stoke-on-Trent is closely followed by Birmingham, with 24%, Wolverhampton with 23%, Coventry with 22.2%, and Sandwell with 22%. All five of the most fuel poor local authorities have seen an increase in fuel poor households, with an average increase of over 1.3%. 

Find out more about the recent statistics on the National Energy Action (NEA) website. 

What is fuel poverty? 

In short, fuel poverty is when a household’s income is insufficient for its heating, lighting, and appliance usage to be satisfactorily met.  

National Energy Action – the fuel poverty charity – regard a household as being in fuel poverty if it has to spend over 10% of its income (measured before housing costs) to maintain a heating regime that keeps the home adequately warm. 

In England, the Government use the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) definition to define fuel poverty. The LILEE definition considers a household to be in fuel poverty if: 

• The property has a fuel poverty energy efficiency rating of band D or below, and; 

• When money has been spent to adequately heat the home, the remaining income leaves the household below the poverty threshold. 

Fuel poverty goes beyond just keeping a home warm, but warming a home is commonly the largest expenditure that contributes to fuel poverty and is often the first utility to be sacrificed by individuals. 

Households may intentionally reduce their energy usage so they do not fall below the poverty threshold. However, if the heating, lighting, and appliance usage is below adequate, the household is still considered to be fuel poor. Households can also still spend more than 10% of its income (after housing costs) on heating, lighting, and appliance use yet still fall short of adequate heating, lighting, or appliance usage, demonstrating the impact that fuel poverty can have on households. 

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 

NEA run FPAD, aiming to raise awareness of the issues of fuel poverty. Educating households on how they can take simple steps to improve their energy efficiency and informing the UK of the health and economic impacts of fuel poverty are covered by FPAD and NEA’s wider efforts to raise awareness of fuel poverty. 

Who is affected by fuel poverty? 

Fuel poverty definitions aim to include as many different variables as possible so as few households are missed out as possible. 

Fuel poverty affects commonly households with: 

• Low income 

• High energy costs 

• Rising energy costs 

• Energy costs increasing disproportionally to income 

• Inefficient homes 

• Poorly insulated homes 

• Leaky homes 

All these factors are relative to the household’s ability to be kept sufficiently warm, well-lit, and everyday appliance usage to be adequate. This means that there is no set cost or amount of energy consumption required for a household to be affected by fuel poverty – every home is different.  

Due to this, rising energy prices affect low-income families and also families living in larger, yet inefficient homes. Low-income households in cold, leaky, and hard-to-heat homes are the most at-risk group; as fuel poverty is so sensitive to energy price fluctuations, a household can fall deeper into fuel poverty despite their circumstances or uses remaining the same – or even when their financial or living situations improve. 

Is it easy to fall into fuel poverty? 

As many people are unaware of the definition of fuel poverty – such as those reducing their energy usage to below sufficient levels to save money – it is common for households to be fuel poor yet be unaware. Life events leading to decreases in income, accidents, and disasters can lead to households becoming fuel poor. 

Energy prices increasing at a faster pace than a household’s income can also cause a household to become fuel poor – especially if the home suffers from poor insulation, draughts, or leaks. 

Recent fluctuations and increases to energy prices have caused many households to fall into fuel poverty unknowingly. It is easy to fall into fuel poverty as, often times, it happens due to factors outside of a household’s control. 

The role of solid fuel in alleviating fuel poverty 

Solid fuel installations can offer increased flexibility and stability to fuel poor homes, helping to alleviate costs and keep households warm – especially over colder periods.  

Solid fuel appliances can complement other heating systems, such as heat pumps, to help tackle the cold weather. The increased flexibility and control that a solid fuel appliance grants allows for just the room being used to be warmed, as opposed to the whole house. This can be especially important in households on the cusp of fuel poverty where every saving matters – it can allow families to not have to choose between heating their home or using an electrical appliance. 

Off-grid homes and households prone to frequent power cuts – such as 18% of households in Scotland – can also greatly benefit from the increased security that a solid fuel appliance offers.  

For solid fuel to play its part in helping households tackle fuel poverty and stay warm, appliances must be safely operated and regularly maintained. The HETAS Advice Hub contains expert advice on how users can optimally use their stove, Ready to Burn certification ensures fuel is suitable for burning, HETAS Registrants ensure that an installation is installed, serviced, and swept professionally, and Cleaner Choice certification provides the assurance that an appliance is independently certified to have minimal emissions, whilst maximising its efficiency. 

Solid fuel appliances must be used optimally and responsibly in order to reap the most benefits. Using poor-quality fuel and not regularly maintaining your installation will cost more money in the long run; poor burning habits generate less heat and can cause damage to an appliance, sometimes resulting in costly repairs. 

Whilst solid fuel can help households in a variety of circumstances reduce their energy bills and stay warm over winter, it is by no means a panacea. Housing upgrades such as insulation (roof-in-roof, internal or external wall, or solid floor), double glazed windows, and draught proofing are some additional ways to improve the energy performance of a household, though some of these improvements require high initial costs. 

A modern, Cleaner Choice appliance that is fuelled correctly and operated optimally can be an extremely valuable resource to households during the winter. Better burning behaviours increase the heat output from stoves, giving households more heat for less fuel. 

Rural Scotland and solid fuel 

The recent reversal of the New Build Heat Standard (NBHS) in Scotland following concerns about those living in rural, off-grid, and island communities across the country demonstrates the role that solid fuel plays in these particular communities. 

Every household, every home, and every family is different. Scotland’s reversal of the NBHS highlighted how it is not possible to legislate equitably for all when it comes to a matter as volatile and uncertain as fuel poverty. 

Rural, off-grid households must not be forgotten – solid fuel can help alleviate fuel poverty worries that these households face, but only if families understand how to burn responsibly. Each household has a different remedy, and one standardised solution will not fit everyone. Acknowledging this and understanding how each household can make changes and receive help will help individuals struggling with fuel poverty.