Fuel Poverty in the UK: Definition, Statistics and What Help Is Available

Fuel poverty in the UK affects millions of households: 2.36 million in England alone (9.4%) under the official measure in 2025, plus 732,000 in Scotland and 340,000 in Wales under their own definitions. When a household must spend a disproportionate amount of its income on energy to maintain a safe, warm home, the consequences extend far beyond discomfort. Cold homes are linked to respiratory disease, cardiovascular problems, poor mental health and, in the most extreme cases, excess winter deaths. This guide explains what fuel poverty means, who is affected, and maps the main support schemes available in 2026.

What Is Fuel Poverty in the UK?

There’s no single UK definition. In England, the official Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric classifies a home as fuel-poor if it has an EPC rating of D or below and would fall below the poverty line after paying its energy costs: 2.36 million English households (9.4%) met that definition in 2025 (DESNZ).

Scotland applies a modified version of the 10% threshold, and Wales and Northern Ireland use the 10% measure. Help is available through the Warm Home Discount, ECO4 (until 31 December 2026), your council’s hardship fund (the Crisis and Resilience Fund in England) and devolved grant schemes. If you are struggling to heat your home, contact your energy supplier’s hardship team or call the Home Energy Scotland helpline on 0808 808 2282 for free advice.

What Is Fuel Poverty? The LILEE Definition Explained

In England, fuel poverty is measured using the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, introduced in 2021. Under this definition, a household is in fuel poverty if it meets both of the following criteria:

• The property has an energy efficiency rating of Band D, E, F or G (an EPC rating below Band C)
• After paying the required energy costs to heat the home to an adequate standard, the household’s residual income would fall below the official poverty line

This definition focuses on two factors: the energy efficiency of the home and the income of the household. A well-off household in a draughty home is not fuel poor because they can afford the bills. A low-income household in a well-insulated home is not fuel poor because their bills are manageable. It is the combination of a low income and an inefficient home that creates fuel poverty.

The definitions differ by nation:

Fuel Poverty Statistics: The Scale of the Problem

The numbers paint a stark picture:

• England: 2.36 million households under the LILEE definition in 2025, 9.4% of all households, down from 9.9% in 2024 (DESNZ)
• Scotland: 732,000 households in 2024, 28.7% of all households (Scottish House Condition Survey)
• Wales: 340,000 households, 25%, as modelled for October 2024 (Welsh Government)
• Northern Ireland: we couldn’t find a current official estimate, so we don’t quote one
• Different measures: the nations define fuel poverty differently, so their figures can’t simply be added together

Certain groups are disproportionately affected:

• Private renters: 17.2% of private rented households in England were fuel poor in 2025, against about 6.5% of owner-occupiers
• Households with a disabled member: often need more heating and have lower average incomes
• Pensioners living alone: Particularly vulnerable due to fixed incomes and often living in older, less efficient properties
• Families with young children: Higher energy needs for heating and hot water, combined with reduced earning capacity
• Off-gas-grid homes: 17.7% of households off the gas grid in England were fuel poor in 2025, against 8.0% of those on it

The Fuel Poverty Funding Gap

The government’s statutory target is for as many fuel-poor households in England as reasonably practicable to reach an energy efficiency rating of band C by 2030, and its January 2026 fuel poverty strategy kept that target (DESNZ).

The Warm Homes Plan puts around £5 billion towards upgrading low-income and fuel-poor households to 2030 and says it could lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty (Warm Homes Plan). With 2.36 million fuel-poor households in England in 2025, that still leaves a gap.

The most cost-effective solution is improving the energy efficiency of homes rather than subsidising energy bills. Every £1 invested in insulation delivers permanent bill savings, while every £1 spent on bill support disappears once the payment stops. Both are needed in the short term, but only energy efficiency investment solves the problem long term.

Every Support Scheme Available in 2026

If you or someone you know is struggling with energy costs, the following schemes may help. Eligibility varies, so check each one carefully.

Bill Support and Financial Help

Warm Home Discount (WHD): A one-off £150 discount on your electricity bill for winter 2026 to 2027, with the scheme reopening in October 2026. In England and Wales you’ll usually get it automatically if, on 23 August 2026, you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Pension Credit and your supplier is in the scheme; in Scotland some households need to apply to their supplier; it isn’t available in Northern Ireland (GOV.UK). The government extended it to almost 3 million more households from winter 2025 to 2026.

Winter Fuel Payment: £100 to £300 for winter 2026 to 2027 if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, paid automatically in most cases. If your income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back. Scotland has a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead (GOV.UK).

Cold Weather Payment: £25 for each 7-day period when the average temperature in your area is zero degrees Celsius or below, between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027, for people getting certain benefits such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit (in some circumstances) or income-related ESA. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has a Winter Heating Payment instead (GOV.UK).

Crisis and Resilience Fund: In England, council help with energy bills, food and essential costs now comes through the Crisis and Resilience Fund; Scotland has the Scottish Welfare Fund and Wales the Discretionary Assistance Fund. You don’t have to be on benefits to ask, and councils set their own rules (GOV.UK).

Energy supplier hardship funds: Many energy suppliers run hardship funds or charitable trusts for customers in financial difficulty, and some give grants towards energy debts. Ask your supplier what it offers.

Home Energy Efficiency Schemes

ECO4: Funded by energy companies until it ends on 31 December 2026; no successor supplier obligation has been announced. Suppliers can fund insulation and heating improvements for households on qualifying benefits or referred by their council under ECO4 Flex, though they choose which homes to help and may ask for a contribution (Ofgem). Covers insulation, boiler replacements, heat pumps and heating controls.

Warm Homes: Local Grant (England): Council-run grants under the Warm Homes Plan for owner-occupiers and private tenants in homes rated EPC D to G where household income is £36,000 or less, someone gets a means-tested benefit, or the home is in an eligible postcode (GOV.UK). Caps are £16,600 for energy efficiency plus £16,600 for low-carbon heating, covering insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and batteries (DESNZ guidance).

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): Closed on 31 March 2026 (GOV.UK). It used to fund insulation for homes in council tax bands A to D.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS): £7,500 towards a heat pump in England and Wales (£9,000 until 31 March 2027 for homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas), available to homeowners regardless of income. Not means-tested.

Devolved Nation Programmes

Scotland: Warmer Homes Scotland: Energy efficiency improvements, usually fully funded, for owner-occupiers and private tenants where someone gets a qualifying benefit, is 75 or over with no working heating, or has a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate. Covers insulation, draught-proofing, heating and renewables (Home Energy Scotland).

Scotland: Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan: For homeowners living in their own home, regardless of income: up to £7,500 grant towards a heat pump plus an optional £7,500 interest-free loan, and grants covering 75% of insulation costs up to £7,500, with £1,500 extra on each grant in rural and island areas (Home Energy Scotland).

Wales: Nest: Free energy efficiency improvements for owner-occupiers and private tenants on means-tested benefits or with a low household income, living in a home rated EPC 54 (band E) or lower, or 68 (band D) or lower if someone has an eligible health condition (GOV.WALES).

Northern Ireland: NISEP and Affordable Warmth: The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme provides free or subsidised insulation, heating and renewable measures to low-income households, and the Housing Executive’s Affordable Warmth Scheme gives grants of up to £7,500 (£10,000 with solid wall insulation) to households with an income under £23,000.

Health Impacts of Fuel Poverty

Living in a cold, damp home is not just uncomfortable; it is dangerous. The UK Health Security Agency, which replaced Public Health England, advises heating the rooms you spend most time in to at least 18 degrees Celsius, and cold homes are riskiest for older people, young children and anyone with a long-term health condition.

The health consequences of fuel poverty include:

• Respiratory disease: Cold, damp homes increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions
• Cardiovascular disease: Cold indoor temperatures raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, particularly in older people
• Mental health: The stress of unaffordable energy bills and living in a cold home is linked to anxiety, depression and social isolation
• Child development: Children in cold homes have higher rates of respiratory illness, miss more school days, and achieve lower educational outcomes
• Excess winter deaths: More people die in winter than in the rest of the year, and cold housing is one of the causes

Investing in home energy efficiency is a public health intervention as well as an environmental one. Every pound spent on improving insulation and heating saves the NHS money in reduced admissions and GP visits.

How to Get Help Now

If you are struggling with energy costs, take these steps today:

• Check your benefit entitlement: Use an online benefits calculator (such as entitledto.co.uk or Turn2us) to ensure you are claiming everything you are entitled to. Many fuel-poor households are missing out on benefits worth hundreds of pounds per year
• Contact your energy supplier: If you are in debt or struggling to pay, your supplier must offer you a payment plan. They cannot disconnect you without following strict procedures and must consider your circumstances
• Call the Home Energy Scotland helpline (0808 808 2282) in Scotland, or the government’s Find ways to save energy in your home service (0800 098 7950) in England and Wales, for free, impartial advice on grants and support available in your area (GOV.UK)
• Contact Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133): Free, confidential advice on energy debt, benefits and support schemes
• Check grants: our grant checker shows which schemes may fit your home, and if you own it you can request a free quote: up to three approved installers who cover your area may contact you. No charge, no obligation

Frequently Asked Questions About Fuel Poverty

How do I know if I am in fuel poverty?

Under the LILEE definition used in England, you are in fuel poverty if your home is rated below EPC C and your income after energy costs falls below the poverty line. As a practical test, if you regularly cannot afford to heat your home to a comfortable temperature, or if you are cutting back on food or other essentials to pay energy bills, you are likely experiencing fuel poverty. Contact Citizens Advice or your local council for an assessment.

Can my landlord be forced to improve the energy efficiency of my home?

In England and Wales, private rental properties must meet a minimum EPC rating of E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), rising to C by 1 October 2030. If your rented home is rated F or G, your landlord is breaking the law unless they have a valid exemption, and your local council can enforce the rules. In England, social landlords must bring their homes up to EPC C by 1 April 2030 unless an exemption applies, helped by the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.

What is the difference between fuel poverty and energy debt?

Fuel poverty is about the inability to afford adequate warmth. Energy debt is about owing money to your energy supplier. They often overlap but are not the same. A household in fuel poverty may avoid debt by under-heating their home, living in cold, damp conditions rather than building up bills they cannot pay. Conversely, a household with energy debt may not be fuel poor if the debt is caused by factors other than low income or poor energy efficiency, such as a billing error or temporary financial difficulty.

Will the government’s Warm Homes Plan solve fuel poverty?

Not on its own. The Warm Homes Plan puts around £5 billion into low-income and fuel-poor households to 2030 and says it could lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty, mainly through the Warm Homes: Local Grant (caps of £16,600 for insulation and other efficiency work plus £16,600 for low-carbon heating) and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. With 2.36 million households in fuel poverty in England alone in 2025, energy efficiency programmes, bill support and benefit take-up all still matter.

I do not receive benefits but still cannot afford my energy bills. Is there any help available?

Yes. In England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant doesn’t require benefits: a household income of £36,000 or less, or living in an eligible postcode, can qualify you. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not means-tested at all. Energy supplier hardship funds are open to customers in financial difficulty, regardless of benefit status. You should also check whether you are entitled to any benefits you are not currently claiming, as many households miss out on Pension Credit, Universal Credit or Council Tax Support. Our grant checker shows which schemes may fit your home.