Give Fuel Poverty a Voice campaign: the year in review

Sponsored by Aico

Now in its fourth year, Inside Housing’s Give Fuel Poverty a Voice campaign explores how to identify and support those struggling to afford a properly heated home

Someone warming their hands on a radiator

The problem of fuel poverty continues to grow in prevalence, and tracking it remains a challenge (picture: Alamy)

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Now in its fourth year, Inside Housing’s Give Fuel Poverty a Voice campaign explores how to identify and support those struggling to afford a properly heated home (sponsored) #UKhousing

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This year the campaign, supported by home safety technology specialist Aico, has incorporated a survey, tracking how landlords are tackling the issue, and a virtual workshop, where participants shared their own experiences and views, and discussed how best to support residents.

Here we summarise six key themes that have emerged from this year’s campaign.

The problem of fuel poverty continues to grow in prevalence. Asked to look back over the past 12 months, 43% of respondents to our annual Give Fuel Poverty a Voice survey said there had been an increase in the number of their tenants living in fuel poverty. In addition, 58% of those who completed the survey said they expected fuel poverty to increase in the next 12 months.
Tracking those living in fuel poverty remains a challenge. Some 52% of respondents to our survey said their organisation does not proactively track the number of tenants affected by fuel poverty. How to identify and track those at risk of, or already living in, fuel poverty was one of the key themes explored during this year’s Give Fuel Poverty a Voice virtual workshop. The event, held in November, brought together around 30 people including residents, social landlord representatives and members of the third sector.
Technology is seen as a promising means of identifying and addressing fuel poverty, assuming that implementation and rollout is managed well. The workshop discussion explored a range of solutions including newer heating systems such as heat pumps, and smart thermostats and environmental monitors that can alert landlords when someone is living in a cold home.

There was an enthusiasm among attendees for the role new technologies could play in reducing the risk of fuel poverty, and in identifying problems early when they do occur, but the need for proper implementation was emphasised. Participants pointed out new systems were only as helpful as residents and staff’s ability to use them, and so stressed the need for intuitive set-ups and appropriate training and education.

Gaining the most reliable picture of whether an individual is at risk of fuel poverty means looking at multiple indicators simultaneously. As workshop participants highlighted, an Energy Performance Certificate rating might provide an indication of a home’s energy efficiency, but a Band A rating does not inoculate someone from fuel poverty.
Similarly, rent arrears can indicate a financial struggle, but someone may have chosen to prioritise heating their home over keeping up to date on rent, meaning strictly speaking they may not appear to be in fuel poverty. Income data might provide reassurance that someone is able to meet their fuel bills, but if they lose their job a day after the data is collected, then it becomes of limited value.

In short, identifying fuel poverty is a matter of collating a range of data which supports the creation of a holistic understanding of a resident’s circumstances. However, only 15% of survey respondents said their organisation had a business intelligence dashboard collating indicators relevant to fuel poverty.
Effective data collection involves building strong partnerships with residents and other organisations such as charities and the NHS. A majority of workshop participants were confident that those who report problems with fuel poverty would receive help. The challenge, many said, was identifying those who might be reluctant to come forward and seek support.
Some participants spoke about specific community outreach efforts focused on fuel poverty, as well as the importance of opportunistic checks during contractor visitors. Building trust with residents will need to be coupled with even stronger data-sharing with charities, it was suggested.

It was recognised these organisations play a significant role in supporting those living in fuel poverty, and that ensuring a two-way dialogue between charities and landlords could improve support further. In some situations, sharing intelligence with the likes of healthcare organisations might also help – a theme explored in Inside Housing’s Healthy Homes campaign, also supported by Aico.
Restricted budgets mean difficult decisions about not only which types of support can be provided, but also how much. During the virtual workshop, participants from social landlords identified that their organisations had varying capacity to provide support to residents in fuel poverty. Internal budgets and capacity to gain external funding vary from organisation to organisation.
Some spoke of the ability to provide wraparound support, such as access to white goods and home furnishings. Others said their organisations prioritised fuel and food vouchers. Participants also debated which support might best be provided by external organisations – just how must expertise can and should social landlords provide? Getting that balance right will remain an open question in 2026 and beyond.

Watch a video looking back at four years of the Give Fuel Poverty a Voice campaign below.

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