



(Title Image: Mark Isherwood AM)

Fuel poverty is defined as when a household spending 10% or more of their income on energy. In 2016 it was estimated 23% of households in Wales were living in fuel poverty – a fall of 7% since 2012. A short debate held yesterday outlined ideas for how to further reduce it.

Proponent: Mark Isherwood AM (Con, North Wales)

Subject: “Getting smart with fuel poverty “

Summary

In 2011, the Welsh Government set out to eradicate fuel poverty by the end of 2018, yet 23% of households were still living in fuel poverty 10 months from the target date.

Rural areas are often more affected by fuel poverty and rural needs were largely ignored by the Nest energy efficiency scheme.

It costs the Welsh NHS £67million a year to treat people affected by cold, damp homes, also colder bedrooms have been linked to mental health problems.

To meet environmental objectives it’s vital to create more green jobs and improve home energy efficiency; Welsh Government commitments, while welcome, won’t eradicate fuel poverty as it would take 48 years at the current rate of investment to do so.

Smart meters will provide better estimates of energy use and make it easier for people to switch suppliers or tariffs – but roll out in Wales requires universal mobile connectivity.

Better insulation, smart appliances and smart heating systems could save a household £184 a year.

Contributions by energy companies to help customers struggling with energy bills – such as automatically moving them to a safeguarding tariff – “must be embraced”.