Fuel poverty is rising in the UK, and now affects an estimated four million households, compared with 1.2 million in 2004.  Simon Osborne, Baxi Group Social Housing and Newbuild Channel Manager, examines why so many households have fallen into fuel poverty and what can be done to help them.

Fuel poverty is when a household needs to spend more than 10 per cent of its income to heat its home.  One of the key causes is high energy prices.  Over the past five years, average domestic fuel bills have increased by 125 per cent.  And off main gas fuel poor consumers (0.6 million) using kerosene or Liquid Propane Gas (LPG), incur costs 50 per cent and 90 per cent higher respectively than those for mains gas.    

Unemployment is estimated to reach three million by next year, so the number of households in fuel poverty is expected to rise still further.  Low energy performance of the home, such as inadequate insulation and inefficient heating system are also major contributing factors.  

Worryingly, almost half of fuel poor households are pensioners, around 80 per cent are classed as vulnerable (National Energy Action 2009), and 65 per cent of households only have one occupant, and therefore only one person to pay the bills.  Meanwhile, the

Government claims that some £10 billion of means tested benefits remain unclaimed.Improving the energy efficiency of homes through better insulation and <a href="http://www.localboilerrepairs.co.uk/">heating</a> systems is key to reducing fuel bills and in turn helping to remove households from fuel poverty.  This includes correct specification of heating technologies in both on and off mains gas areas.

Decent Homes
The Decent Homes programme has halved the number of homes in the public sector that provided inadequate thermal comfort.  The average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating for social housing rose 10 points between 1996 and 2006 to SAP 57. This is compared to a rise in SAP of only five points to SAP 47 in the private sector, which represents 80 per cent of all housing. Almost all social sector housing (97 per cent) has a SAP rating of more than 30.

It is anticipated that 95 per cent of the social housing stock will be ‘decent’ by 2010. The improvements made as a result of the Decent Homes Programme have been significant.  However, many groups have called for its successor to go even further and deliver improvements based on the very latest technologies. The Fuel Poverty Action Group has called for this programme to start by addressing the five per cent of the social housing stock which will still not meet the current Decent Homes standard in 2010, and whose occupants are most likely to be in fuel poverty.

The Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee (part of the ODPM) recommended as long ago as April 2004 that a ‘Decent Homes Plus’ target should be set.  This new Standard would have much more ambitious thermal comfort criteria, in line with the Building Regulations in force at the time when it is set.

Grants and funding
The 6th Annual Report issued by DEFRA in October 2008 provided updates on a range of programmes to tackle poor energy efficiency, including the Government’s continued commitment to the Warm Front Scheme in England.  Just over £800 million was committed over the next spending round and a further £74 million was recently announced for the next two years. Similar schemes exist in Scotland and Wales, which are also committing considerable resources to improving energy efficiency and heating in vulnerable households.

This is in addition to the energy efficiency measures installed in the homes of low income vulnerable households by the energy suppliers in order to meet the priority group target under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).

Over the next three years low income and elderly households across Great Britain are set to benefit from around £1.5 billion of energy efficiency measures under the CERT scheme.  The new Home Energy Saving programme announced in September 2008 increased CERT by 20% - increasing the carbon dioxide reduction target from 154 million tonnes of to 185 million tonnes. National Energy Action (NEA) and Energy Action Scotland have a number of schemes and campaigns across the UK, including testing new technologies such as heat pumps and solar, designed to tackle heating and insulation problems in low income households and encourage them to seek help.  

Heating Technology
Baxi Group offers a comprehensive range of energy efficient space and hot water heating packages which are designed to meet the DecentHomes standard whilst reducing energy costs. New developments include a new high efficiency back boiler unit, the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE, which is a SEDBUK Band A rated appliance.  According to the recent Energy Saving Trust guidelines, it shows fuel cost savings of between £125 and £310, depending on property size.

Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP offers energy efficient heating and hot water with simultaneous electrical energy generation.  The 1kW electrical energy generated by Baxi Ecogen will meet the demand of the average home, which, according to research, has an electrical load of around 800W (excluding kettles, toasters and ovens/hobs).Multifit GasSaver used in combination with a Baxi or Potterton high efficiency combi boiler can save up to 37 per cent of gas used to produce domestic hot water and save a further seven per cent of domestic water.

In off mains gas areas, households often have to rely on alternative sources of fuel. As well as a range of high efficiency LPG boilers, Baxi Group offers low and zero carbon solutions which can be applied in rural and other expensive-to-treat housing.  These include solar hot water, ground source and air source heat pumps and biomass.  It is important that these technologies are correctly specified in homes that can support them, so that they can effectively reduce space heating and hot water costs. The inclusion of alternative proven technologies on the Warm Front Scheme will specifically benefit fuel poor off mains gas households.

According to the Government, in 2004 more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions came from the energy we use to heat, light and run our homes.  Carbon dioxide is well documented as a major cause of climate change, and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to reduce our ‘carbon footprints’.

In addition, the biggest household bills we receive each month are for the energy we use to heat our homes and provide hot water, and these costs have risen steeply during the last 12 months.  And resources of the fossil fuels we use to generate that energy are dwindling.

So it makes sense to do what we can in our homes to reduce the amount of energy we use, so we reduce emissions and fuel costs and help to preserve the precious fossil fuel resources.

There are a few simple steps that can be taken to improve energy efficiency of the home’s heating system that are relatively inexpensive.  These include installing thermostatic radiator valves to control the heat in each room, insulating the hot water pipes and lagging the hot water storage cylinder with a 75mm jacket.  This could save up to £100 a year on fuel costs.

In the longer term, it is worth considering replacing your boiler with a new, high efficiency, or condensing, boiler.  The term condensing, or high efficiency, means the boiler recovers more heat from the amount of oil or gas that is burnt, making it more efficient than conventional boilers. By recovering and using heat that would otherwise be lost up the flue, the best condensing boilers are more than 90% efficient.

Although <a href="http://www.localboilerrepairs.co.uk/">condensing boilers</a> cost more initially, they are very economical to use, and can pay back the initial extra cost in fuel savings, saving around £200 a year, depending on the property. Condensing boilers also have lower emissions of toxic gasses making them much better for the environment, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by over two and a half tonnes.

If your <a href="http://www.localboilerrepairs.co.uk/boiler-brands/baxi">boiler</a> was installed before 2003, it is likely to be one of around four million old inefficient boilers that are still working in the UK (according to the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council).  If all these boilers were replaced, around two and a half million tonnes of carbon dioxide would be saved every year.

<a href="http://www.localboilerrepairs.co.uk/boiler-brands/baxi">UK boiler manufacturer</a> Baxi offers a range of high efficiency SEDBUK A rated boilers, with a choice of products suitable for every home.  If you are looking for central heating and instant hot water whenever you want it, Baxi has two ranges of combination boilers. 

The Baxi Duo-tec Combi HE includes the Baxi Duo-tec Combi 28 HE, awarded Britain’s Best Buy by Which? in its latest boiler report.  It was given 5-star ratings for efficiency, NOx emissions, ease of installing and features.  The Baxi Platinum Combi HE is backed by an industry leading five year parts and labour warranty.

If you have a hot water storage cylinder, the Baxi Solo HE heat only range and the Baxi Megaflo System HE boilers are stylish and compact in design and offer excellent heating and hot water performance.

For more information on Baxi’s <a href="http://www.localboilerrepairs.co.uk/boiler-brands/baxi">boiler</a> products, please visit www.baxi.co.uk or call 0844 871 1525.

Age Concern Funeral Plans reveals the predicted cost of a funeral in 2014 will be £3,794*. In the last decade the average cost of a funeral increased by over 90%**. With interest rates at an all time low, Age Concern warns that a funeral could cost you over £1000*** more in just five years, if you use money from a savings account rather than by taking out a funeral plan.

Research from Age Concern Funeral Plans reveals that from 1997 to 2008 funeral costs increased by over £1,300** and are predicted to rise to £3,794 by 2014*.

It is thought that many people put money into a savings account when planning for a funeral rather than taking out a funeral plan. However with interest rates at an historic low of just 0.72%***, and funeral costs on the increase, Age Concern Funeral Plans is urging people to think ahead when it comes to planning for their funeral, to avoid leaving a financial burden on loved ones.  

By taking out a Funeral Plan, people could save over £1000*** in just 5 years, rather than trying to cover ever-increasing funeral costs using a savings account.

Sharon Dobson from Age Concern Funeral Plans said: “With current saving rates at an all-time low and the cost of a funeral increasing year on year, it is more important than ever to think about planning ahead.  As our research shows, as well as helping to relieve some of the emotional stress for loved ones, you can also help to alleviate their financial burden by taking out a funeral plan.”

In this time of financial uncertainty, funeral costs have been rising faster than inflation due to various factors such as increased cremation fees, the rise in energy costs and local councils no longer subsidising the cost of cremation fees, which they did for many years****.

The Age Concern Guaranteed Funeral Plan is available to anyone aged over 50 years and offers three package plans - Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire - to suit varying wishes and different budgets.  By taking out an Age Concern Funeral Plan, you can pay cremation funeral expenses in full at today’s prices. There’s no need to worry about rising funeral costs in the years ahead - your cremation funeral is guaranteed to be covered‚ no matter how far in the future it is needed.

To find out more about Age Concern Funeral Plans, call 0800 022 3245, visit your local Age Concern, or log onto:  www.ageconcern.org.uk/funeralplans.

To find out more about Age Concern funeral plans, visit us online at http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/funeral_plan.asp