Citizens Advice response to the consultation on the fuel poverty strategy for England

Citizens Advice response to the consultation on the fuel poverty strategy for England 606 KB

Citizens Advice welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the fuel poverty strategy for England. A clear, measurable, and actionable strategy is essential for reducing energy bills, improving home energy efficiency, and ensuring that fuel-poor households can access the benefits of a future energy system.

We support the retention of the 2030 fuel poverty target. Fuel poverty levels remain persistent, and ongoing uncertainty in energy prices presents significant challenges. Therefore, while ambitious, the target of bringing as many fuel-poor homes as reasonably practicable to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C is crucial for driving meaningful policy this decade. We call on the Government to set additional long-term targets beyond 2030 to ensure that fuel-poor households are not left behind in the wider net zero transition.

We believe the Low Income, Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric is valuable for guiding policies aimed at improving home energy efficiency. However, we recognise that the metric does not provide the full picture of households’ experiences of fuel poverty. To address the growing gap between the number of households classified as fuel-poor under LILEE and those spending more than 10% of their income (after housing costs) on heating their homes adequately, we support the introduction of an energy affordability indicator. This indicator, used alongside LILEE, would offer a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of fuel poverty.

In addition to the four guiding principles - worst-first, cost-effectiveness, vulnerability, and sustainability - we believe it is essential to adopt a consumer-friendly principle. Meeting the 2030 target depends on widespread consumer involvement in retrofit measures. Therefore, the updated strategy must prioritise the needs of consumers and tackle barriers to participation through fully funded upgrades for low-income households, well-designed energy efficiency schemes that empower consumers to engage, and a robust consumer protection framework.

For the private rented sector, regulatory changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) must be accompanied by support for landlords and strong enforcement measures to ensure compliance and avoid undue burden on tenants.

Targeted bill support will complement energy efficiency upgrades by helping households manage high energy prices and bridging the gap to long-term affordability. It will also play an important role in homes that may not reach sufficient energy efficiency levels, ensuring that energy bills are affordable for all households regardless of their home's energy efficiency.