Tackling fuel poverty during the transition to a low-carbon economy

Since energy prices are expected to carry on rising, this paper assesses some of the options available to governments and policy-makers if they are to successfully tackle fuel poverty whilst simultaneously managing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The authors:

• claim fuel poverty can only be reduced by a focus on the energy efficiency and energy bills of those in fuel poverty, especially low-income vulnerable households;
• propose that dramatically increasing the energy efficiency of fuel-poor homes is the long-term solution to fuel poverty;
• outline potential new approaches to help ensure fuel poverty initiatives are better targeted at fuel poor households;
• suggest these measures will have significant social and environmental benefits.