A Quarter Of UK Households (Over 6.5 million) Now In Fuel Poverty
An extra 300,000 British households are struggling to keep warm this winter after major energy suppliers squeezed by higher costs raised energy prices, a government advisory group reported on Monday.
The country’s major energy suppliers boosted prices citing higher commodity prices, government-imposed social programmes and transmission costs.
“The latest round of energy price rises has increased the average annual energy bill by around 7 percent to 1,247 pounds for direct debit customers.
“This increase is likely to have pushed a further 300,000 households into fuel poverty,” said the government’s Fuel Poverty Advisory Group in its annual report.
A household slips into fuel poverty when it pays more than 10 percent of its income on resources for adequate heating.
Around a quarter of Britain’s households, or over 6.5 million, are now considered fuel poor.
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