A total of 8.4 million households will be in fuel poverty from April, campaigners have said. That number is up from 4.5 million last October.
National Energy Action (NEA) said the drop in Government support in April will mean one in three households will be in fuel poverty. A household is in fuel poverty if more than 10% of income has to spent on energy to keep it satisfactorily warm.
A survey for NEA found spiralling prices were already having an effect on energy usage for the majority of people. Over the next three months, 81% of householders said they would ration heating, 55% are reducing their use of hot water and 13% have reduced use of medical equipment.
