According to The Guardian, the UK is at risk of seeing the highest level of fuel poverty since records began in 1996.

Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action estimated that the number of households unable to pay their electricity bills had increased considerably in 2021. At the same time, if the authorities do not take appropriate measures, the number of UK households living in fuel poverty could multiply by the spring of 2022.

The National Energy Action study highlights that around 4 million homes in the country are classified as fuel poor. Moreover, the problem arose before the energy crisis in Europe. The final straw was a surge in global energy market prices that triggered one of the steepest ever energy bill hikes in the euro area. 

The charity warns that a new spike in prices could cause another 2 million British households to slip into fuel poverty, leaving them struggling to heat their houses.

As a result, the total number of such households could reach 6 million, the National Energy Action predicts. This would be the highest level of fuel poverty across the UK since 1996. According to Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, the number of households in fuel poverty would “skyrocket” in April 2022. This threatens to deepen the energy crisis and trigger a “cost of living catastrophe” for hard-pressed families.