Around 60,000 Irish households are estimated to live in persistent fuel poverty and a further 160,000 or so experience intermittent fuel poverty. Fuel poverty has been defined as the inability to heat ones home to an adequate (i.e. safe and comfortable) level owing to low household income and poor, energy inefficient housing and also the need to spend greater than 10% of household income on fuel to achieve an acceptable level of comfort and amenity.
Fuel poverty has a major impact on the lives of the people affected – in terms of financial issues, comfort, health and the quality of the home. In general, low income householders are unable to afford the capital investment measures that would improve the energy quality of their homes. Income supports and fuel allowances do not address this structural deficiency in this part of the housing stock. Fuel poverty is a phenomenon experienced in private and social housing alike, both urban and rural. As energy prices continue to increase, the numbers of households experiencing fuel poverty could well increase. In 2003 SEI carried out A Review of Fuel Poverty and Low Income Housing. This report gives an overview of the current situation in Ireland.
SEI’s Low Income Housing Programme was set up to help establish and implement a national plan of action to systematically address the problem of fuel poverty . SEI has published a Low Income Housing programme strategy which outlines the context, objectives and work programme for the period 2002 – 2006.
Sustainable Energy Ireland