Fuel poverty

In England, fuel poverty is measured using the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) indicator. Under this indicator, a household is considered to be fuel poor if:

• they are living in a property with a fuel poverty energy efficiency rating of band D or below AND
• when they spend the required amount to heat their home, they are left with a residual income below the official poverty line.

There are 3 important elements in determining whether a household is fuel poor:

• household income
• household energy requirements
• fuel prices

Fuel poverty has a bidirectional relationship to damp housing.

Those living in fuel poverty are more exposed to the risk of enduring dampness. Without sufficient financial means to heat a dwelling to advised levels, damp and mould are more likely to thrive. Someone experiencing fuel poverty is also unlikely to be able to ventilate where they live sufficiently enough to mitigate and improve damp conditions in winter. For someone using central heating, this would see the money they spend on this escaping out of the open window; for those not using central heating, opening windows would decrease the indoor temperature even further, with both unpleasant and dangerous effects.

On the flip side, those living in damp housing are more likely to be pushed into fuel poverty in attempts to manage and mitigate the extent of the condition. This is especially true when considering the disproportionate levels of dampness among the poorest.

Given the rising costs of energy in the UK, levels of fuel poverty are expected to rise dramatically over the winter; undoubtably this will also lead to a directly correlated rise of those enduring dampness.