One in five 'struggle to heat their homes'
Updated on 05 February 2008
Rising fuel bills mean nearly one in five families with children cannot afford to heat their homes, Save the Children UK has warned.
And of those who can pay their bills, 15 per cent need to cut back on other essential expenses such as clothing and food costs in order to do so.
Unsurprisingly, low income families are hit hardest with 44 per cent of households living off less than £15,000 a year struggling to heat their homes.
The problem of low income is compounded by pre-pay meters which are significantly more expensive than bills by direct debit, the charity says.
Phillipa Hunt, UK poverty spokeswoman at Save the Children, said: "Fuel poverty is an outrage, particularly for children.
"It means that they are experiencing the effects of cold on a daily basis. Children find it more difficult to do their homework in a cold home, and are more likely to suffer ill-health."
"She added: We know that less well-off families are much more likely to use pre-pay meters, because it gives them the flexibility to plan a weekly budget. So by charging more for using pre-pay meters, energy companies are in fact penalising those families and children who are least able to pay."
Malcolm Wicks, energy minister at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said the Government was committed to eradicating fuel poverty, and had already spent more than £20 billion on measures to tackle it.
"Spending on energy efficiency measures by suppliers and the Government is expected to rise by £680 million for vulnerable households in the next three years," he said.
"The measures, such as better insulation and more efficient boilers, help to reduce household energy bills."
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