Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas is supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2011, a national campaign which aims to raise awareness of the detrimental effects that living in a cold home can have on people's health.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, 11th February, is run by the charity National Energy Action (NEA) and has already gained support from the Green party and health expert Dr Miriam Stoppard OBE, who are helping draw attention to the support available to low income and vulnerable people to help them keep warm and avoid health problems caused by colder homes.
Caroline is Co-Chair of the Parliament's Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency Group. She said:
"In Brighton Pavilion alone, fuel poverty affects over 5,000 households - which is around 12% of all homes.
"Householders are increasingly concerned about the rising cost involved of heating their homes. Many are turning their heating off in an attempt to stay out of debt - risking their health and wellbeing.
"Living in a cold, damp home can lead to extremely poor health, and exacerbate conditions such as respiratory and coronary problems, especially in older people, young children whose immune systems have not yet fully developed, and those with long terms sickness and disabilities.
"Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is about acknowledging these issues, helping people to understand the links between fuel poverty and health, and making them aware of the different ways in which they can fuel poverty proof their future.
"Importantly, there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone who is concerned about fuel bills to contact their energy supplier or call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to access help and advice on staying warm without the fear of fuel debt and ill health."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Fuel Poverty Awareness Day takes place on 11th February 2011 and aims to raise awareness of the issue of health and cold weather and point people to places where they can get help and support
- Excess winter mortality is calculated as winter deaths (deaths occurring through December to March) minus the average of non-winter deaths (April to July of the current year and August to November of the previous year)
- The Home Heat Helpline is a free, not for profit phone line set up to help British energy customers who are struggling to pay their fuel bill and keep warm.
- The Home Heat Helpline was launched by the Energy Retail Association in October 2005 and has become a cornerstone service for low-income households in urgent need of heating help and advice 0800 33 66 99
- Cold and damp homes affect people's health and wellbeing and are linked to serious cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. The elderly, young children and people with people with disabilities are particularly at risk.
- There were over 40,000 excess winter deaths linked to cold homes in 2008-09 in the UK. This number dropped to 26,000 through 2009-10 but ONS figures indicate that the number of EWD from the winter of 2010-11 may well be higher
- Fuel Poverty is defined as the need to spend over 10% of household income on fuel costs to maintain adequate warmth for health and comfort
- NEA is the leading Fuel Poverty charity campaigning for affordable warmth in the homes of vulnerable people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For further details visit http://www.nea.org.uk/
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