Portsmouth households hit by fuel poverty as UK figures soar
One in seven Portsmouth households were in fuel poverty in 2022, new figures show.
An energy charity has warned the Government must do more to stop fuel poverty remaining a “fact of life”.
Energy prices skyrocketed from the end of 2021 due to reduced supply and geopolitical issues, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, putting more pressure on hard-up households.
Latest estimates from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities suggest 12,427 households in the city were living in fuel poverty in 2022 – 14% of the 88,743 households in the area.
This puts Portsmouth above the England average of 13.1%.
Nationally, 3.2m households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in 2022, a similar figure to the year before.
The estimates suggest there were 32 neighbourhoods across the country where half of households were suffering fuel poverty.
In addition, there were 574 neighbourhoods where at least a third of households were living in fuel poverty, with one of them in Portsmouth.
Households are judged to be in fuel poverty if they are below the poverty line and living in a house with an energy efficiency rating of D or worse.
Adam Scorer, chief executive of the National Energy Action fuel poverty charity, said: “This data shows how fuel poverty hits different parts of England harder – areas with the lowest incomes and draughtiest homes.”
He cautioned the Government should not consider the energy crisis over, and added: “Bills remain far higher than precrisis levels.
“Households remain dangerously exposed to volatile wholesale energy prices because of how draughty our homes are and how weak household finances have become.
“Energy debt has reached record levels.”
The National Energy Action charity is calling for a social tariff for those on the lowest incomes, alongside help for those in debt and greater investment in improving the energy efficiency of homes.