Every year in the UK, thousands of households that use a prepayment energy meter or prepay for alternative fuels lose access to heat, light, and power because they can’t afford to top up the meter or fill the heating oil tank.
As a result, people are forced to live in dark, damp, dismal and dangerous homes.
Higher energy prices have put household finances into the red, with those on lower incomes feeling the pain the most.
Fuel Bank’s Race to End Fuel Crisis aims to highlight the challenges faced by those struggling to heat their homes, bathe their children, cook warm meals and power essential appliances, as well as inspire action to address the root causes of fuel crisis and champion the need for a fair energy transition to net zero.
In the last 12 months, Fuel Bank has seen a 34 per cent increase in demand for help, and while we know our support makes a difference to people’s lives, it’s only a temporary fix. We must come up with a long-term plan to end fuel crisis once and for all.
Over the next two weeks, Matthew Cole, CEO of Fuel Bank Foundation, will be covering more than 3,200 miles, visiting all four corners of the UK. Along the way, he will visit Fuel Bank network partners and community groups, as well meet energy industry policymakers and individuals and families living in fuel crisis.
Starting in Glasgow, Matt’s journey will take him across the UK and include stops in Aberdeen, Dundee, York, Belfast, Birkenhead, Chester, Wrexham, Hull, Norwich, London and Cardiff, ending in Birmingham, home of Fuel Bank Foundation’s HQ office, on 21st November.
By embarking on the ‘Race to End Fuel Crisis’, we want to make change happen by highlighting the urgency and desperation faced by people in fuel crisis and promote the importance of ensuring households with the lowest incomes don’t get left behind on the UK’s journey to net zero.
