Last year we ran a campaign for Community First Yorkshire’s Warm & Well in North Yorkshire project – aimed at tackling fuel poverty across the county.
Given the current cold snap (and having just had a smart meter fitted and getting a bit obsessed about monitoring energy costs!) I can’t help thinking about the people in our area that are having to make impossible choices.
During the campaign we heard about parents having to choose between heating their home and feeding their family. We heard about insomnia, anxiety and stress caused by energy debt. We learnt that over 8,000 people die each year through fuel poverty.
What struck me most was the fact that the poorest people in our society pay the highest rates to heat their houses. How is this right? It really angers me – it’s just so unjust, unfair and quite scandalous in my opinion. Domestic energy companies generate around £600 million pound in profit each year, yet 8,000 people die because they can’t afford it!
Anyway, rant over. Here’s Warm and Well North Yorkshire with their top tips for staying warm and well. Please, please share this with anybody in your networks who is struggling with fuel poverty. Help does exist, is free and confidential.
