Almost 5,000 excess deaths due to cold homes last winter as Treasury fails to give out £440m in energy support
1 year, 4 months ago

Almost 5,000 excess deaths due to cold homes last winter as Treasury fails to give out £440m in energy support

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost 5,000 excess winter deaths were caused by cold homes last year, charities have told MPs, as the government underspent its energy crisis support fund by £440m. Over a million vulnerable households missed out on vital energy bill support last winter because the money, earmarked to help, wasn’t given out, fuel poverty charities told the Energy Security and Net Zero committee on Wednesday. There were an estimated 4,706 excess winter deaths over 2022 to 2023 due to living in a cold damp home in the UK Adam Scorer, chief executive of NEA, told MPs: “A million households who were due for support from the different bill mechanisms didn’t get it and £440m went back to the Treasury that should have gone into people’s pockets. “The level of energy debt is so extreme now, destroying lives, that we have to have a mechanism, a help-to-repay scheme, that helps people to accelerate their way out of energy debt.” A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "The government spent around £40 billion covering half a typical household’s energy bill over the winter, and additional help is available for the most vulnerable through an increase to the Warm Home Discount – from which we expect over 3 million households to benefit.

Energy Support Winter Independent Treasury Told Cold Energy Bills Households Vulnerable  cold  told  treasury  deaths  poverty  support  fails  excess  homes  5000  households  vulnerable  fuel  energy  winter  money

History of this topic

My elderly mother can’t afford heating – she needs the winter fuel allowance
4 days, 8 hours ago

My elderly mother can’t afford heating – she needs the winter fuel allowance

The Independent  

After a damp and drizzly start to the year, the weather in the UK has taken a dramatic turn and we’ve firmly entered the first real cold snap of 2025 – which not only prompts concern for our own health and safety but also the wellbeing of our more vulnerable loved ones. Living alone in a privately rented flat and …

My elderly mother lives alone and can’t afford heating – and there are many more like her
5 days, 4 hours ago

My elderly mother lives alone and can’t afford heating – and there are many more like her

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy After a …

One million families with children face fuel poverty this Christmas, analysis shows
2 weeks, 2 days ago

One million families with children face fuel poverty this Christmas, analysis shows

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Over a million families with children under 16 will face …

In the bleak mid-winter, energy prices will rise – but ‘shopping around’ won’t help
1 month, 2 weeks ago

In the bleak mid-winter, energy prices will rise – but ‘shopping around’ won’t help

The Independent  

As if the announcement of yet another energy price hike wasn’t bad enough, Ofgem has added insult to injury by telling the British public to simply “shop around” for better tariffs. The energy watchdog clearly knew that it was going to take some heat by releasing the information in the midst of a cold snap, when energy bills are at …

UK ‘dangerously underprepared’ for future energy crisis and price spikes, experts warn
2 months, 3 weeks ago

UK ‘dangerously underprepared’ for future energy crisis and price spikes, experts warn

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK is “dangerously underprepared” and vulnerable to another energy …

Energy bill advice this winter from warm home discount to free electric blankets
3 months ago

Energy bill advice this winter from warm home discount to free electric blankets

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. NEA chief executive Adam Scorer said: “Millions of households face …

Charities concerned over limiting winter fuel payments as energy prices rise
3 months, 1 week ago

Charities concerned over limiting winter fuel payments as energy prices rise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The increase in the energy …

Charities concerned over limiting winter fuel payments as energy prices rise
3 months, 1 week ago

Charities concerned over limiting winter fuel payments as energy prices rise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The increase to the energy …

How Winter Fuel Payments are changing - and the energy bill help alternatives available for pensioners
3 months, 4 weeks ago

How Winter Fuel Payments are changing - and the energy bill help alternatives available for pensioners

Daily Mail  

Hundreds of thousands of pensioners will lose out on Winter Fuel Payments worth up to £300 each this winter - but there is other energy bill help still available. Losing the Winter Fuel Payment is a blow to pensioners, but the good news is that other energy bill help is available for retirees. Eating or heating: Charities for the elderly …

Winter fuel payment cut could kill 4,000 people, Labour research suggests
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Winter fuel payment cut could kill 4,000 people, Labour research suggests

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of pensioners …

Winter fuel payment cuts leaving pensioners ‘worried sick’, MPs warned
4 months ago

Winter fuel payment cuts leaving pensioners ‘worried sick’, MPs warned

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Pensioners are “worried sick” about how they will heat their …

Fund for councils to help vulnerable extended after support cliff edge warning
4 months, 1 week ago

Fund for councils to help vulnerable extended after support cliff edge warning

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A fund to help struggling households with bills and essentials …

Labour urges energy firms to support awareness campaign for winter bills help
4 months, 1 week ago

Labour urges energy firms to support awareness campaign for winter bills help

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Government is planning to …

Energy bosses and Government discuss ways to support vulnerable households
4 months, 1 week ago

Energy bosses and Government discuss ways to support vulnerable households

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Energy firm bosses will meet …

Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat
5 months ago

Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Visiting Phoenix amid triple-digit temperatures, the U.S. government’s top health official acknowledged on Wednesday that a federal program that helps low-income people pay their utility bills needs to focus more on cooling homes in the summer instead of overwhelmingly on wintertime heating. “What we’re beginning to see is the prominence of extreme heat and no longer just the …

Millions of households struggle to pay energy bills despite price drop – charity
6 months, 1 week ago

Millions of households struggle to pay energy bills despite price drop – charity

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As millions of people worry about keeping up with …

Compensation and insulation reduced energy poverty: TNO
6 months, 1 week ago

Compensation and insulation reduced energy poverty: TNO

Dutch News  

The number of energy-poor households increased by 70,000 last year compared to 2022 but is significantly lower than in previous years thanks to government measures. Some 400,000 households on low incomes and living in badly insulated homes were struggling to pay their energy bills in 2023, figures compiled by statistics agency CBS and research institute TNO show. Without compensation measures …

Energy price cap 2024: Households see bills fall as Ofgem drops energy price gap
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Energy price cap 2024: Households see bills fall as Ofgem drops energy price gap

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Households will see …

How to reduce energy bills and keep warm this winter
11 months, 2 weeks ago

How to reduce energy bills and keep warm this winter

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The start of …

Household energy bills to rise 5% from January 1 amid record consumer debt
1 year ago

Household energy bills to rise 5% from January 1 amid record consumer debt

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A £94 increase to the …

Revealed: Millions of children at risk from killer mould
1 year ago

Revealed: Millions of children at risk from killer mould

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said that “too many children are living in damp, …

Almost half of people worried about winter energy bills, research finds
1 year, 1 month ago

Almost half of people worried about winter energy bills, research finds

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Millions turning off fridges and freezers to cope with high energy bills, charity warns
1 year, 1 month ago

Millions turning off fridges and freezers to cope with high energy bills, charity warns

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. According to the JRF, 84 per cent of all families on universal credit went …

Charities ramp up ‘help to repay’ calls as millions unable to pay energy debts
1 year, 2 months ago

Charities ramp up ‘help to repay’ calls as millions unable to pay energy debts

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ofgem"> Ahead of Chancellor’s upcoming Autumn Statement, the free debt advice service is leading …

Opinion: Deadly heat calls for new protection for the poorest
1 year, 5 months ago

Opinion: Deadly heat calls for new protection for the poorest

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Mark Wolfe, an energy economist, is executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and co-director of the Center on Energy Poverty and Climate. Federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides formula grants to states to help pay household heating and cooling bills, is only adequate to help about one out of …

Disabled people facing a ‘cost-of-breathing’ crisis due to high energy bills
1 year, 7 months ago

Disabled people facing a ‘cost-of-breathing’ crisis due to high energy bills

The Independent  

Many disabled people are facing a cost-of-breathing crisis amid higher energy bills, a new television advert has warned. As the spiralling cost of living forces many people to cut down their energy use, for disabled people, it can be life and death Toby Greaves, Scope The charity’s advice lines have supported almost 38,000 disabled people over the past year and …

Charities worried about their ability to survive, survey suggests
1 year, 10 months ago

Charities worried about their ability to survive, survey suggests

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Even as the economic outlook might look brighter than feared, charities are saying loud …

Thousands missing out on £600 energy bill support - here’s how to get it
1 year, 10 months ago

Thousands missing out on £600 energy bill support - here’s how to get it

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An online portal has opened …

Charities and organisations call for social energy tariff
1 year, 11 months ago

Charities and organisations call for social energy tariff

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost 100 charities and organisations are collectively calling for a …

‘Life or death:’ As Britons buckle under the cost of living crisis, many resort to ‘warm banks’ for heat this winter
2 years ago

‘Life or death:’ As Britons buckle under the cost of living crisis, many resort to ‘warm banks’ for heat this winter

CNN  

London CNN — In a community center in central London, a young child plays in a makeshift area as her caregiver rocks her stroller and chats to a friend. “Poverty has been building up over the last dozen years and getting worse,” says Marmot, director of University College London’s Institute of Health Equity. “There’s surprisingly lots of people that do …

Staying warm this winter: How to beat rising home energy costs
2 years ago

Staying warm this winter: How to beat rising home energy costs

Al Jazeera  

This is the first in a three-part series on staying warm this winter. Average domestic energy costs have increased 74 percent compared with the same time in 2021, according to data from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. “You’re having to keep an eye on your smart meter to see how much energy you’re using.” The UK …

People struggling to heat homes in ‘dreadful’ position due to cold snap
2 years, 1 month ago

People struggling to heat homes in ‘dreadful’ position due to cold snap

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

500,000 households no longer eligible for Warm Home Discount, charities warn
2 years, 1 month ago

500,000 households no longer eligible for Warm Home Discount, charities warn

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy More than half a million …

Triple spending on insulation for poorer homes, say MPs
2 years, 2 months ago

Triple spending on insulation for poorer homes, say MPs

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Environment has called for that figure to be increased to £3 billion, …

What energy support is available for businesses?
2 years, 2 months ago

What energy support is available for businesses?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Liz Truss’s government announced a …

Taxpayers ‘face £18bn bill’ for failure to insulate UK homes
2 years, 3 months ago

Taxpayers ‘face £18bn bill’ for failure to insulate UK homes

The Independent  

The decision to cut government support for home insulation means taxpayers face a £18bn bill, new analysis has found. In 2012, the UK installed 2.3 million home insulation measures but those figures plummeted by 90 per cent in 2013 after reports circulated that then-Prime Minister David Cameron had ordered aides to ‘cut the green crap’ in reference to green levies …

Businesses await details of support to cope with soaring energy bills
2 years, 3 months ago

Businesses await details of support to cope with soaring energy bills

The Independent  

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Warning 1.3 million Britons will be pushed into poverty even with energy bill freeze
2 years, 4 months ago

Warning 1.3 million Britons will be pushed into poverty even with energy bill freeze

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A further 1.3 million Britons will be pushed into poverty …

Police ‘fear surge in crime and civil unrest’ driven by cost of living crisis this winter
2 years, 4 months ago

Police ‘fear surge in crime and civil unrest’ driven by cost of living crisis this winter

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Police chiefs are drawing up contingency plans to deal with …

Chancellor ‘deeply concerned’ people could freeze this winter
2 years, 4 months ago

Chancellor ‘deeply concerned’ people could freeze this winter

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said he is “deeply concerned” some Britons could …

Nearly one in four ‘won’t turn on heating this winter’ as energy bills soar
2 years, 4 months ago

Nearly one in four ‘won’t turn on heating this winter’ as energy bills soar

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine …

Home insulation installations plunge by 50%, adding to pain of rocketing energy bills
2 years, 4 months ago

Home insulation installations plunge by 50%, adding to pain of rocketing energy bills

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Home insulation installations …

Woman, 80, says she would be ‘better off dead’ than trying to cope with energy bills this winter
2 years, 4 months ago

Woman, 80, says she would be ‘better off dead’ than trying to cope with energy bills this winter

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Sheila Correll said she has to wash some clothes by …

Energy price hike will ‘cost lives’ and leave children hungry, charities warn
2 years, 4 months ago

Energy price hike will ‘cost lives’ and leave children hungry, charities warn

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “More help is desperately needed for poorest or people will die this winter due to …

Seven-in-ten pubs say they will go bust this winter without Government intervention on fuel bills
2 years, 4 months ago

Seven-in-ten pubs say they will go bust this winter without Government intervention on fuel bills

Daily Mail  

Pubs are being driven towards 'extinction' by soaring energy bills – with as many as seven in ten saying they will not survive the winter. Two-thirds of pubs said their bills have more than doubled this year, while almost one in ten have seen them rise by more than 500 per cent Energy bills are set to keep rising into …

UK’s health leaders warn of ‘health emergency’ over energy cost
2 years, 4 months ago

UK’s health leaders warn of ‘health emergency’ over energy cost

Al Jazeera  

The NHS Confederation appeals to the UK government to help the most vulnerable with the spiraling cost of energy. British health leaders have made an unprecedented appeal to the government to help the most vulnerable with the spiralling cost of energy to prevent a “public health emergency” this winter. “As health leaders, we are clear that unless urgent action is …

Poorest families continue to be hardest hit by inflation, say experts
2 years, 4 months ago

Poorest families continue to be hardest hit by inflation, say experts

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. James Smith, research director at the foundation, said: “Inflation …

Pensioners to spend one pound out of every five on energy bills, Labour warns
2 years, 5 months ago

Pensioners to spend one pound out of every five on energy bills, Labour warns

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One pound in every five spent by pensioners this winter will …

Government ‘not taking cost of living crisis seriously’
2 years, 5 months ago

Government ‘not taking cost of living crisis seriously’

The Telegraph  

More than two in five people believe the Government is not taking the cost of living crisis seriously despite almost two-thirds of the public already struggling to pay energy bills, a new poll reveals. Asked how seriously the Government was taking the crisis, 36 per cent said “seriously” but 43 per cent said “not seriously”. The poll also suggested support …

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