The most widely accepted definition is “a household that needs to spend more than 10% of income to heat the home to an adequate standard” i.e. to a level of warmth consistent with maintaining health and well being that is; 21 degrees centigrade in main living areas and 18 degrees centigrade in other areas, of the home.
Importantly the definition focuses on what people need to spend rather than what they actually spend on heating. This is because fuel poor households have to balance the need for fuel and other essentials, so often they cannot afford to heat their home properly. Fuel poverty is clearly linked to general poverty and deprivation and is firmly associated with:
- Low income and debt
- Poor household insulation standards
- Inefficient or expensive heating systems
- Lack of access or availability of affordable
- fuel and/or tariff options
- Under-occupation of and the size of the home
- Householder behaviour
In addition, other factors must be considered as contributing to fuel poverty. Certain households have a greater requirement for heat and hot water than the average household because they may be spending longer periods of time at home. This might be those households which include pensioners, those with long-term illnesses or disabilities, the unemployed and households with young children.
These households tend to be on lower incomes, although not necessarily in receipt of state benefit, and at the same time they may have less access to capital to improve their homes or appliances. In terms of fuel poverty these households are deemed ‘vulnerable’ and more than half of all households fall into this category in the UK.
The Leeds Affordable Warmth Strategy aims to assist its residents to move out of fuel poverty and into affordable warmth and will therefore facilitate support to improve the health and well-being of some of the City’s more vulnerable households.
Health and Wellbeing
The links between fuel poverty, poor housing and ill health are well established. Cold homes may exacerbate problems associated with cardiovascular illness and the onset of stroke or heart attacks, whilst damp and poorly ventilated homes are associated with a range of respiratory and allergic conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma etc. Cold homes may also impact on conditions such as rheumatism or arthritis and may affect those people with poor mobility, thus increasing the risk of falls and other household accidents. Living in a cold, damp and poorly ventilated home is not only uncomfortable but may also be stressful in itself and impacts negatively on the mental health of householders. This may be compounded by anxiety about high bills, fuel debt or other fuel poverty related factors.
The educational attainment of school age children may also be adversely affected if they do not have a warm space to study and are forced to share general living space or need to take time off from school due to cold-related illness. Householders who are permanently sick or disabled and unable to work may require their heating to be on more than employed householders as they are likely to spend more time at home. Consequently their fuel bills will be higher whilst their incomes may be lower and thus these households are more likely to be in fuel poverty.