Government's fuel-poverty promise "empty"

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 07:00

The government's energy efficiency plans are underfunded and unlikely to help the fuel-poverty crisis affecting more than five million people across the UK, according to a watchdog.

Consumer Focus, the consumer advocacy group, warns an investment of £3 billion per year is needed for seven years if the government is to meet its 2016 target to end fuel poverty.

Jonathan Stearn, energy expert for Consumer Focus, said: "The government's current energy efficiency schemes are simply not up to the task of tackling fuel poverty and cutting carbon emissions.

"Unless the government invests in a radical new energy efficiency scheme its promise to end fuel poverty will prove to be empty."

If consumers are forced to pay for the investment through their energy bills this could push up to 1.7 million more households into fuel poverty, Consumer Focus said.

Consumer Focus added it has concerns that the government's main energy efficiency scheme - CERT (Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) - is ineffective in targeting fuel poor households.

Unless meaningful energy efficiency targets are set, many fuel poor properties, particularly those which have solid-walls or are off the gas network, will not be improved enough to lift households out of fuel poverty, the watchdog warned.

Consumer Focus is urging the government to invest in an improved scheme with high energy efficiency targets, which would require a significant investment, although around a third of the £3 billion per year needed could be found from existing funding for the CERT scheme.

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