Research published by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, as part of the Warm This Winter campaign, found that 18 per cent of the population, or 9.02 million adults, were living in cold damp homes in December 20221. The survey of 2,186 people was carried out on 20 and 21 December 2022 and weighted to be representative of the Great Britain population1.
The figures cover adults only, and the coalition said the number of children also in cold damp homes would be in addition to them1. Among people with health conditions made worse by cold and damp, 26 per cent, or 4.75 million, were unable to heat their homes to a safe standard, and 28 per cent of disabled adults, or 1.9 million, lived in cold damp homes1. The coalition also reported that 9 per cent of the population were worried about an older relative being exposed to the health impacts of a cold damp home, and 27 per cent were worried about the impact of fuel poverty on their local community1.
The research compared December findings with a survey of 2,198 people carried out on 29 and 30 November 20221.
| Group in cold damp homes | Nov 2022 | Dec 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| All adult public | 19% | 18% |
| Vulnerable adults | 22% | 21% |
| Adults with health conditions | 26% | 26% |
| Elderly people | 10% | 10% |
| Disabled adults | 28% | 29% |
| Young families | 26% | 21% |
| Rural and vulnerable adults | 23% | 20% |
| BAME adults | 22% | 24% |
| Pre-payment meter customers | 31% | 36% |
The coalition said 55 per cent of respondents believed they had already implemented energy reduction measures before this winter, and 15 per cent had already cut back their energy use to the bare minimum necessary to keep safe1. A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said:
"As we get deeper into winter, our worst fears about rising energy bills are being realised."
The coalition said deeper analysis of the data would be published in the new year1.
Why it matters for households
The findings set out how many households were reporting both cold and damp at the same time, a combination linked in the research to existing health conditions that cold and damp make worse1. For a household, the two problems interact: a home that is hard to heat is also more likely to hold moisture, and the survey indicates that a quarter of people whose health conditions are worsened by cold and damp could not heat their homes to a safe standard1. The Cold Homes and Health guide covers how temperature and damp affect occupants.
The comparison between November and December shows most groups changing little over a month, with pre-payment meter customers rising from 31 per cent to 36 per cent and young families falling from 26 per cent to 21 per cent1. The coalition's figures apply to adults only, so the total number of people in cold damp homes, including children, is not stated1.
The survey also records what households say they have already done: over half reported having taken energy reduction measures before this winter, and 15 per cent said they had cut use to the minimum needed to keep safe1. That suggests a limit to how much further reduction is available without affecting health, though the research does not measure this directly1. Wider data on housing and energy performance sits in the market-data hub, and the EPC ratings comparison sets out how new build and older homes differ.
What happens next
The coalition said deeper analysis of the data on this issue would be published in the new year1. No date has been reported for that publication.
Sources1 cited
- Nine million adults spent Christmas in Dickensian conditions - End Fuel Poverty Coalition, endfuelpoverty.org.uk