The Consumer Council strongly welcomes today’s announcement by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive that there has been a significant drop in fuel poverty in Northern Ireland from 42% of households in 2011, to 22% in 2016.
John French, Chief Executive of The Consumer Council said: “It is heartening to see this drop, which has occurred due to lower energy prices, reduced household energy use with more energy efficiency products, and increased household income since the last report in 2011.”
“However, with one in five households in Northern Ireland still struggling to heat their homes, there is still a lot of work to be done. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive report also highlights that there are big regional differences in regards to fuel poverty, for example one in three households in Mid Ulster are in fuel poverty compared to just over one in ten households in Lisburn and Castlereagh. Therefore it remains important that the Northern Ireland government, energy industry, statutory and voluntary agencies continue to work together to tackle the problem of fuel poverty.”
Consumers can help themselves by shopping around for the best deal. The Consumer Council’s website (www.consumercouncil.org.uk) has an interactive energy price comparison tool, and provides weekly updates of home heating oil prices across Northern Ireland. In addition, any households who are struggling with their energy bills can speak to Bryson Energy on 0800 1422 865 to see what help they can get in regards to home energy efficiency schemes.
