Missing out on help with fuel bills

A survey that I have undertaken of the 'big 6' fuel companies (reported on in the Times today) shows that the vast majority of people living in 'fuel poverty' are missing out on the special deals that the companies offer to their most vulnerable customers. The latest semi-official estimate of fuel poverty (from the chairman of the Government's 'Fuel Poverty Advisory Group') puts the number having to pay more than ten per cent of their income to heat their home properly at between 5 million and 5.5 million households. But my survey finds that not much more than two thirds of a million households are getting the preferential rates that power companies offer to their 'vulnerable' customers. And even people who get discounted prices through so-called 'tariffs' can still end up paying more for their bills than if they switched supplier.

The story gets worse - next year the Government will make available to the companies a list of which of their customers is getting 'pension credit' - which ought to be a prime category of people who could do with some extra help this Winter. But the companies are telling me that they shouldn't be expected to make available their social tariffs to all of their customers on pension credit!

The other thing that I have found it just how complicated the rules are, depending on which company you are with. For some firms, access to their social tariff depends on anything from how many bedrooms you have, to how hold you are, what benefits you are on, how you pay your bill and how long you have been with the company for. It's hardly suprising that needy people are missing out.

Given the epidemic scale of fuel poverty this winter, the whole system of supporting people who are struggling to pay their heating bills needs a total overhaul.