2011 viewpoint paper for JRF by Paul Ekins and Matthew Lockwood, University College London and IPPR

Since energy prices are expected to carry on rising, this paper assesses some of the options available to governments and policy-makers if they are to successfully tackle fuel poverty whilst simultaneously managing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The authors:

• claim fuel poverty can only be reduced by a focus on the energy efficiency and energy bills of those in fuel poverty, especially low-income vulnerable households;
• propose that dramatically increasing the energy efficiency of fuel-poor homes is the long-term solution to fuel poverty;
• outline potential new approaches to help ensure fuel poverty initiatives are better targeted at fuel poor households;
• suggest these measures will have significant social and environmental benefits.