National Energy Action (NEA) NI wrote to the Minister on 12 January 2022 calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to allocate funding for a broader package of support for fuel-poor households, stating that the £2M Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme is not sufficient to meet demand1.
The charity said it had seen a significant rise in households seeking emergency support for fuel poverty over recent weeks, and that it welcomed the launch of the Department for Communities' Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme, but is "extremely concerned that the allocation of £2M for the scheme falls significantly short of what is required to mitigate the worst impacts of the ongoing Energy Crisis in Northern Ireland"1. The scheme aims to help 20,000 households, but NEA NI said it is clear that many more households are suffering hardship in fuel poverty1.
"We are calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to allocate funding to support the release of a broader package of support, to protect households in Northern Ireland from fuel poverty at the earliest possible opportunity."
The letter cites the 2016 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey, which found a fuel poverty rate of 22% and estimated approximately 43,800 households in extreme fuel poverty, meaning they need to spend over 15% of their total income to heat their homes1. NEA NI noted this was at a time when oil and gas prices were significantly lower than at the time of writing1. The charity also said Northern Ireland continues to have among the lowest levels of household income across the UK and the highest weekly household expenditure on energy of any UK region1.
NEA NI said energy prices underwent an unprecedented rise during 2021 and that this looks set to continue for at least 18 months1. It warned that without urgent intervention there is a real and severe risk of needless deaths and morbidity, along with increased pressure on healthcare services in the months ahead1. The letter was signed by Ms Pat Austin, Director of National Energy Action (NI)1.
Why it matters for households
The letter sets out the scale of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland against the reach of the current emergency payment: 20,000 households covered by the £2M scheme, against a 2016 survey estimate of 22% of households in fuel poverty and 43,800 in extreme fuel poverty1. For a household, the practical question is whether support reaches homes that fall outside the scheme's 20,000 places, and whether the wider help available for low-income households in Northern Ireland is enough to cover the gap the charity identifies.
Energy independence at household level depends on what a home can afford to spend on heating and how much of that cost it can reduce. NEA NI's argument is that the current allocation does not match the number of households in hardship, and that the pressures are amplified by record fuel prices and low household incomes relative to the rest of the UK1. The charity's stated position is that a broader package is needed to protect households from fuel poverty1.
What happens next
NEA NI has asked members of the Executive to approach the matter with urgency1. No date has been reported for a decision on the release of further funding, and no response from the Minister or the Executive is reported in the letter1.