- Conference
- 2008 Energy Service Group Conference
- Date
- 2 February 2008
- Decision
- Carried
The definition of fuel poverty is generally accepted as an individual or family who spend more than 10% of their disposable income to keep warm.
In 2002 when the fuel poor numbered 2m, as a developed country, we were rightly appalled. How then should we be reacting as the number rose to 4m in the spring of 2007 and again to 4.4m in January 2008?
A recent report for the National Right to Fuel Campaign and funded by UNISON, appear to show that of the additional £8.2bn paid by UK customers for their electricity and gas, only around £5.9bn is directly attributable to the rising wholesale energy prices. This means every household is paying an extra £100 per year directly to the pockets of the energy companies – that is £100 that 4.4 million cannot afford.
UNISON members in the Energy Sector deal with fuel poverty every day while trying to help poor and vulnerable families. Call centre staff, meter readers and emergency response staff are all too aware the impact rising prices have on customers – they need to explain why!
Conference condemns the blatant profiteering within the energy industry and calls upon the Energy Service Group Executive to:
1)Work with the National Right to Fuel Campaign to raise the profile of fuel poverty within the energy service group.
2)Write to energy branches encouraging them to support the National Right to Fuel Campaign.
3)Ask Ofgem to investigate if uncompetitive practices are at work within the energy industry.
4)Write to the Energy Minister expressing our concerns that the Government looks certain to miss its own legally binding fuel poverty targets and seek clarification on how it intends to correct this.