02 December 2021
The Fuel Poverty Coalition seeking action to save lives this winter
Ahead this year’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (Friday 3rd December), the Fuel Poverty Coalition (FPC) Northern Ireland are calling for the establishment of an emergency taskforce to tackle the rising energy prices and support households at risk of fuel poverty this coming winter.
Earlier this month firmus energy announced that it would be putting gas prices up by 38% from 3rd December across its Ten Towns network area. The company said rising global energy costs had “forced” its hand to put prices up for the third time this year. firmus gas prices increased by 35% in October and by 18% earlier in the year.
Northern Ireland’s largest electricity company Power NI is also set to increase its prices for domestic customers by 21.4% from 1 January 2022 which will impact on around 450,000 domestic customers.
The Fuel Poverty Coalition NI is concerned that the coming winter will deepen existing levels of fuel poverty and put many more households at significant risk of fuel poverty.
This winter could be the worst for energy customers in years. Those who are already struggling may find that they are plunged deeper into crisis. While other who may have never been worried about their finances could find themselves in a very different situation to where they were 12 months ago.
Fuel Poverty and Health
Evidence shows that living in a cold, damp home greatly increases the risk of death from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases are directly linked to exposure to excessively low indoor temperatures for long periods of time. This is because temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius result in raised blood pressure. There is also increasing evidence to show that children living in cold homes are more than twice as likely to suffer from a variety of respiratory problems than children living in warm homes. Exposure to the cold can also increase the level of minor illnesses such as colds and flu and exacerbates existing conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism. All these factors will add additional pressure to our health care services at a time of year when the NHS is already pushed to breaking point.
In a letter to the Minister for Communities, Pat Austin, Chair of the Fuel Poverty Coalition wrote:
“Fuel poverty exposes households to the cold, and the cold kills. Urgent action is needed to improve health outcomes and support the most vulnerable people who are at most risk of needless death and morbidity.
We are therefore requesting, alongside all other members of the Fuel Poverty Coalition, that immediate action is taken to mitigate the worst impacts of the energy crisis on households in Northern Ireland.
“We are calling for the establishment of a Fuel Poverty Task Force to bring together industry leaders, policy experts, government departments and expert charitable organisations to work proactively on actions to mitigate the worst impacts of the energy crisis.“
In October the Fuel Poverty Coalition launched their ‘Manifesto for Warmth’ which outlines 7 key asks that members agreed upon as a means to tackle Fuel Poverty in NI. The document can be found here: https://fuelpovertyni.org/fpc-a-manifesto-for-warmth-2021/.
Ends
Notes for Editors
- The FPC was established in 2010 in response to the increasingly serious levels of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland. The Coalition’s aim is to drive forward the fuel poverty agenda in Northern Ireland in terms of both policy and practical initiatives.
- Members are united by the fact that they wish to highlight the urgent action needed to eradicate fuel poverty in Northern Ireland.
- Currently, the Coalition has a membership base of over 160 members from across Northern Ireland; representing businesses, environmental groups, trade unions, the health sector, local councils, consumer groups, housing associations, rural support networks, the voluntary and community sector, young person’s groups, older person’s groups and faith groups.
For more information, please contact:
Pat Austin, Director, NEA NI. Tel: 07703 210390. Email: Pat.Austin@nea.org.uk
Jamie Miller, Policy and Campaigns Officer, NEA NI. Tel: 07591 596145. Email: Jamie.Miller@nea.org.uk
A pdf copy of this press release can be downloaded here.