Heating or Eating? How to Combat Fuel Poverty
Fuel poverty sounds like something from a Dickensian novel, conjuring up images of a family in rags and tatters, huddled around a sparse coal fire trying in vain to keep warm. In actual fact, fuel poverty is a harsh reality for millions of Britons today. Faced with rising prices for both gas and electricity, many people are dreading the colder months because they know they can't afford to adequately heat their homes.
Fuel poverty is defined as having to spend 10% or more of the household income in order to maintain comfortable temperatures within the home – usually 21 degrees for the living room and around 18 degrees for other frequently occupied rooms. With the average yearly energy bills in Britain now exceeding the £1200 mark, it's estimated that there are now over 4 million households in some degree of fuel poverty. These household often have to choose between eating a decent meal or being able to keep warm for a few hours.
It's caused by a number of factors, but the main causes seem to be a combination of high fuel bills, lack of knowledge regarding energy efficient living, and low household incomes. While people might not be able to do much about the income they earn without pestering the boss for a pay rise, there are steps that can be taken to lessen the impact of the other factors.
Making the home more energy efficient is perhaps the easiest, and most rewarding. Simply consuming less energy within the home will work wonders at reducing bills, and the rewards can be seen very quickly. Most of the electrical items in the home could be made more efficient just by turning them off at the socket rather than onto standby mode. For white goods such as the cooker, fridge or washing machine, it might be worth investing in a model with a better energy rating if it's used frequently. Even simple things like keeping the freezer full and only doing full loads in the washing machine can help reduce the bills. Turning down a thermostat by as little as 5 degrees will still provide heat but save fuel consumption.
The gas and electricity prices per kWh might be too high. Compare unit prices from several electricity and gas suppliers to see if this is the case. If so, switching utilities from one provider to another can make the biggest difference of all.
About the Author: J Tillotson is a financial author in the UK
More articles by JayTillotson
Print Article | Download PDF | 23 views | Sep 24 2008
|
|
