The Department for Communities consultation on a draft Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland closed at 23:59 (GMT) on Thursday 6 March 2025, having opened on 12 Dec 20241. The exercise also carried proposals for the department's new fuel poverty energy efficiency scheme1.
The draft sets out what the consultation describes as a vision of a "Warm, Healthy Home for Everyone", supported by four principles, and lists proposed actions under three headings: make homes more energy efficient, collaborate and build capacity, and protect consumers1. It also proposes a new approach to measuring and reporting on fuel poverty in Northern Ireland1. The consultation states that the last Fuel Poverty Strategy was published in 2011, and that views gathered during a stakeholder engagement process between April and September 2024 shaped the draft1.
"This strategy proposes a vision of a Warm, Healthy Home for Everyone, supported by 4 principles."
The consultation defines fuel poverty as the inability of a household to heat and power their home adequately, and states that it is affected by the cost of energy, the energy efficiency of the home, the energy needs of those living in it, and household income1. It adds that nearly a quarter of the population experiences challenges in heating their homes adequately, and that inadequate heating can lead to poor mental and physical health1. Responses could be submitted online or by email to fuelpovertystrategy@communities-ni.gov.uk, and respondents were not required to answer every question1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Opened | 12 Dec 20241 |
| Closed | 6 Mar 2025, 23:59 GMT1 |
| Previous strategy published | 20111 |
| Stakeholder engagement | April to September 20241 |
| Proposed principles | Four, including making homes more energy efficient, collaborating and building capacity, and protecting consumers1 |
Why it matters for households
Fuel poverty in Northern Ireland is measured and tracked separately from the rest of the UK, and the strategy under consultation is the framework that sits behind that measurement, behind any future energy efficiency scheme for low-income households, and behind consumer protections in the energy market1. For a household, the practical effect of the document lies in those three areas: how much support is available to improve the fabric of a home, how fuel poverty is counted and reported, and what protections apply when energy costs rise. The consultation states that nearly a quarter of the population experiences challenges in heating their homes adequately, which indicates the scale the framework is intended to address1. The proposed new approach to measuring and reporting fuel poverty would change the basis on which need is assessed and progress judged, so the definition and the numbers that follow from it are central to how the strategy is evaluated1.
What happens next
The consultation has closed and no date for publication of a response, a final strategy or the energy efficiency scheme has been reported1. The consultation document remains available to read, and the department's Fuel Poverty Strategy team can be contacted at fuelpovertystrategy@communities-ni.gov.uk1.
Sources1 cited
- [Fuel Poverty Strategy Consultation
- NI Direct
- Citizen Space](https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/dfc/fuel-poverty-consultation/), consultations.nidirect.gov.uk