The Department for Communities opened a public consultation on its draft Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland on 12 December 20241. The consultation also contains proposals for the department's new fuel poverty energy efficiency scheme1. It closes on 6 March 2025 at 23:59 GMT1.
The draft strategy is described as government's proposed long-term framework for addressing fuel poverty and its impacts1. Fuel poverty is defined in the consultation as "the inability of a household to heat and power their home adequately", affected by the cost of energy, the energy efficiency of the home, the energy needs of those living in it and household income1. The consultation states that nearly a quarter of the population experiences challenges in heating their homes adequately, and that the last Fuel Poverty Strategy was published in 20111.
The strategy proposes a vision of a Warm, Healthy Home for Everyone, supported by four principles1. The consultation lists three objectives:
"These are: - Make homes more energy efficient - Collaborate and build capacity - Protect consumers"
The draft strategy also proposes a new approach to measuring and reporting on fuel poverty in Northern Ireland1. The department says it listened to views during a stakeholder engagement process between April and September 2024, and that this shaped the draft1. Responses can be submitted online or by email to fuelpovertystrategy@communities-ni.gov.uk, and respondents do not need to answer every question1.
Why it matters for households
Fuel poverty in Northern Ireland is measured and defined differently from the rest of the UK, and the consultation proposes changing how it is measured and reported1. For a household, the practical levers named in the draft are the energy efficiency of the home, the cost of energy and household income1. The proposed energy efficiency scheme is aimed at low-income households, and the department describes it as more ambitious than what came before, though the consultation page does not set out eligibility rules, grant amounts or measure lists1. Those details have not been reported. The strategy is a framework rather than a set of entitlements, so no household's eligibility for support changes on the basis of this consultation alone1.
What happens next
The consultation runs until 6 March 2025 at 23:59 GMT1. The department has not stated in the consultation when the final strategy or the energy efficiency scheme will be published1.
Sources1 cited
- [Fuel Poverty Strategy Consultation
- NI Direct
- Citizen Space](https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/dfc/fuel-poverty-consultation/), consultations.nidirect.gov.uk