Fuel poverty (2021)
What is fuel poverty?
A household in England is defined as being in fuel poverty if it is in a property rated D or worse for energy efficiency, and its disposable income (that is, its remaining income after housing and energy costs are paid) is below the poverty line (60% of the national median income). This is known as the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric. The rapid rise in costs of gas and electricity in the UK, caused largely by energy supply shortages, means that a large number of properties are likely move into fuel poverty soon.
The most recent small-area national data was published by the UK BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) department in 2023, and uses data from 2021 - that is, before the recent sharp increases in domestic energy costs. However, it is still useful as a general indicator to the areas of London under fuel stress and already in fuel poverty, and can provide an indicator for areas of the city likely to be most affected by fuel poverty in the coming months.
Fuel poverty across London
The map shows that in 2021, fuel poverty was high across London. Across much of the city, more than 10% of households are in fuel poverty. Newham is the borough with the highest fuel poverty rate. 17.8% of households in the borough are in fuel poverty - in some parts of the borough it is as high as 30%.
Due to rising energy costs, the fuel poverty map may look significantly worse when 2022 data is available and analysed.