Average dual energy bills rose from £572 to £1,287 between Jan 03- Sep 08 reports government advisory body Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.
Rising unemployment and higher energy prices are likely to push hundreds of thousands more homes into fuel poverty says government advisory body - Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG).
FPAG reported that about 4m households in England are spending over 10% of their income on energy and are already in fuel poverty. Accordingly, FPAG has urged ministers to put together a detailed plan for meeting their own target of ending the problem by 2016.
One of the main causes of fuel poverty is high energy prices with average domestic fuel bills having increased by 125% over the past five years. The FPAG report states that the long-term trend on prices is likely to be upwards - not least due to the huge industry investment required to meet green energy targets - and the price hikes imposed by foreign energy providers will contribute to this.
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The FPAG report has been welcomed by one of the main consumer watchdogs, Consumer Focus and its spokesman Jonathan Stearn is reported by the BBC to have said: “We are urging the government to heed the warning of its own advisory group, that energy prices could rocket in the next few years.”
“If the government is serious in its aim to end fuel poverty, it needs to do much more to help the most vulnerable households.” The numbers in fuel poverty fell dramatically during the early part of this decade, with the government establishing several schemes that provide help for vulnerable households.
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