45 Million Brits May Be Hit by Fuel Poverty by January, New Study Reveals

With the UK’s cost-of-living crisis showing no signs of abating, British households are bracing themselves for annual energy bills of up to £4,200 next January, more than three times the amount paid at the beginning of 2022.

At least 45 million Brits may be in the grip of fuel poverty by January 2022 due to the looming energy price cap increase, a new survey has revealed.

The study conducted by the University of York also suggested that 86.4% of pensioner couples are expected to face fuel poverty by the same date.

Additionally, the research revealed significant regional variation when it comes to the cost-of-living crisis that Brits are currently going through.

According to the study, around 57.9% of households in the country’s south-east are expected to be tackling exorbitant energy bills by January, as compared to 70.9% and 76.3% in the west midlands and Northern Ireland, respectively.

Fuel poverty is a term used to describe those households which have to spend more than 10% of their disposable income on home energy in order to maintain an adequate standard of warmth.

The University of York survey was preceded by the consultancy Cornwall Insight suggesting that annual energy bills for Brits might hit £4,200 in January, a considerable increase compared to the group’s previous forecast of £3,615.

Labour’s Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband described the figures as “shocking”, going on to claim that they “show the full scale of the national emergency that could unfold unless the Conservative government acts to freeze energy bills.”

“This is a crisis that will not just threaten the most vulnerable, but also the middle-income families and pensioners across the country, who will be despairing about how they are going to get through this winter. We simply cannot allow the British people to suffer in this way,” he added.

The remarks come after inflation rates in the UK reached a 40-year high at 10.1%. The uptick was triggered by record prices for fuel, as well as the soaring cost of food, clothing, and furniture.

UK government ministers previously warned that the “severe sanctions” that western countries slapped on Russia shortly after Moscow launched its special military operation in Ukraine would have a knock-on effect on the cost of living in Britain, while citizens should be prepared to take an “economic hit”.