New fuel poverty tsar to lead review - 15/03/2011
UK residents may be tempted to switch energy providers after a review on fuel poverty.
Professor John Hills, the newly-appointed fuel poverty tsar, is to lead an independent review on the issue and focus on its definition and reduction targets.
At present, a household is said to be living in fuel poverty if it spends ten per cent or more of its income on heating.
Now, the Department for Energy and Climate Change is keen to review this classification so that it can set appropriate goals for fuel poverty eradication.
"Many households have been under pressure from their heating bills this winter, some severely so because of their particular needs or difficulties in keeping their homes warm," explained Professor Hills, who is an academic at the London School of Economics.
"It is crucial that we measure the scale of the problem and trends in it accurately."
Professor Hills will report his findings to the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, early in 2012.
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