Some three million families are living in fuel poverty, according to government estimates - but charities warn the true number could be double that after the price cap increases in April. The latest government figures reveal that 3.16 million households in England were living in fuel poverty in 2020 - down from 3.18 million in 2019.
Based on these figures, they estimate that the figure has continued to fall, to 30.06 million in 2021 and 3.03 million in 2022 - which is still 12.5 per cent of the population. They say the projected drop is mainly due to continued progress in energy efficiency, but the rate of decrease has slowed as a result of changes in incomes due to the impact of the pandemic and rising fuel prices.
This is also reflected in a predicted rise in the average fuel poverty gap - the reduction in fuel costs needed for a household to not be in fuel poverty. This is projected to be £258 in 2022, up by 15% in real terms compared to 2020 (£223).
