Help! I am in Fuel Poverty.

Loughton_Monkey

I am well used to being told by our Nanny State about all the so-called 'Poverty' in the UK - Child Poverty, Housing Poverty, Fuel Poverty. [You know the sort of thing. Stupid self-interested groups wanting huge benefits increases. These reports tend to be next to others mentioning 10 million people dying of starvation in Africa or somewhere...]

But I thought I would check my own situation. I was staggered to learn that (a) my average annual cost for Gas and Electricity for 2008/10 inclusive was precisely £4,862. Given the large increase from August, I am predicting well over £5,000 for 2011.

Now if this was less than 10% of my income, I'd be a higher rate taxpayer. Given the pensions I am choosing to take, and my savings income, I am not at the higher rate threshhold. Hence, I find that whilst I thought I was very comfortably off, I am very much "in Fuel Poverty".

I suggested to Mrs Loughton Monkey that we should pop down to Citizens Advice and see if we can get some benefits. But she claims it's my own fault because I like the pool set at 90° when she is comfortable at about 86°.

Would others, like me, along with Age UK apparently, describe my position as "scandalous"?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14151032

More than a fifth of all households in the UK were affected by fuel poverty in 2009, government figures have shown.

Higher fuel bills meant the number of homes affected rose by one million, or 22%, to 5.5 million, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said.

A household is described as being in fuel poverty when it has to spend more than 10% of its income keeping warm.

DECC predicts that the numbers for 2010 and 2011 will have increased because of further rises in the price of energy.

Blacklight

You're paying £135/month combined on average? Unless you live in a Georgian mansion house with original sash windows, no cavity and no loft insulation I'd say that was on the high side.

Loughton_Monkey

Blacklight wrote: »

You're paying £135/month combined on average? Unless you live in a Georgian mansion house with original sash windows, no cavity and no loft insulation I'd say that was on the high side.

Well over £400 a month in fact.

Superb quality double glazing and fully insulated/boarded loft. And we do use an insulated cover for the swimming pool.

Wheezy_2

I think it's more like 400 quid a month.
Now we know who's been melting all those ice caps

abaxas

400 a month!

Do you live in an 8 bedroom stone built mansion with single glazing and an addiction to leaving the windows open.

We live in a 4 bed stone built property with crap insulation and sash windows. £150 pm for gas and leccy.

Graham_Devon

Don't think the sarcasm quite works when your burning that amount on domestic energy a month. What exactly do you live in? A mansion?

Blacklight

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

my average annual cost for Gas and Electricity for 2008/10 inclusive was precisely £4,862.

08/10 inclusive = 36 months
£4,862/36 = £135/m

Reaper

A household is described as being in fuel poverty when it has to spend more than 10% of its income keeping warm.

I think I'm in beer poverty.

wymondham

Crikey, our 3 bed semi is £60 a month (gas & electric) !!!

pleasedelete

Mine is £300 a month.

Loft insulated etc etc

But I have an aga and 2 boilers (don't ask last home owner was eccentric)

WestonDave

Its an extreme example but it does in reality illustrate the problem with these stats. If for example you have a family in a house qualifying for housing benefit to cover their entire rent, and a family next door earning, bringing in £12k a year more and covering their £1k a month rent themselves, then the first family are always going to be much closer to being defined as being in fuel poverty, whereas the second probably not be! Likewise a retired household who've paid off the mortgage and need much less to live on, versus a new owner next door who is just starting to pay off the mortgage in the first few painful years before inflation starts to make it seem easier.

If they want to look meaningfully at fuel costs they need to at least take the massive differences caused by housing cost out of the equation.