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More than five million households in the UK are not able to afford to heat and power their homes. They are in fuel poverty, needing to spend ten percent or more of their income on energy.

The average household now faces an annual energy bill of more than £1,300 - 30% higher than a year ago and more than double the average bill of five years ago.

Already more than 20,000 people die from the cold during the winter and many more become ill and go into debt. The additional impact of these rocketing fuel bills will be disastrous. Fuel poverty has reached crisis levels.

How can you help?

NEA undertakes a range of activities to help fuel poor households, with an emphasis on ensuring that Government and energy companies put the needs of vulnerable customers at the heart of policy decisions.

We would welcome new sponsors, donors and supporters that wish to assist NEA. By making a donation, you can help us fund fuel poverty projects and our campaigning activities to ensure that all households, particularly those who are vulnerable, are able to live in homes which are warm, healthy and affordable to heat.

All donations received by NEA will be held in a central 'pot' until the end of each financial year and will then be used to deliver a project that will directly help the fuel poor. NEA staff will put forward project ideas on how they would like the money to be spent and an internal poll will be taken to decide on the best use of the funds. The project details will then be posted on our website, with all client details kept anonymous.

Who can be helped? - A Case Study

Gordon and Rose B. live in Coventry. Mr B. has a heart condition and Mrs B. has suffered with blood clots in the past, which means they both feel the cold.

Their home is well cared for and outsiders would certainly not have presumed that they were suffering any hardship. However, inside the house the only form of heating was portable convector heaters and one electric fire. Their quarterly bill in the winter was over £300 and being on a low fixed income they were struggling to pay their bills and to keep warm.

The couple contacted the NEA Coventry office for advice about their heating and energy bills. A Project Officer arranged to visit the clients at home to assess their situation.

A welfare benefit check revealed that Mr B. is receiving Pension Credit and was therefore eligible for a Warm Front Grant, which would pay for a central heating system. An application to Coventry City Council for a grant for loft insulation and cavity wall insulation was also made. Other finance options were looked at and applications were made to Coventry General Charities for a Pension Gift of £200 per annum and also to the Severn Trent Trust Fund for help with their water bills.

Mr & Mrs B. are now both well and happy. The house is much warmer and they have commented on how lovely it is to wake up in the morning in a warm house compared to having no heat at all in the past. Their finances are much better and they are managing to pay all their bills, relieving them of a great deal of stress and anxiety. They could not believe that there was so much help available to them. Mr B. said that he feared for other pensioners who were living in very cold conditions because they are not aware that they too could get help.

Please click here to find out more about recent projects and campaigns by NEA.

If you would like to support NEA, there are several ways you can donate. If you are a UK taxpayer, you can add to your donation through Gift Aid.

For more information contact:

Donate online now

You can donate online securely at Charities Aid Foundation or PayPal. Clicking on the relevant logo will take you to the respective NEA donation page.