Fuel poverty is when a household spends at least 10% of their annual income ensuring their property is adequately heated. Inefficient heating systems and poor levels of insulation and draught proofing often mean that people struggle to afford the necessary heat for their homes leading to cold and damp conditions in the home, in turn exacerbating poor health conditions.
The map below shows the levels of fuel poverty in Shropshire.
• Many homes in Shropshire are in rural areas which are off the gas-grid network; this can lead to a higher usage of more expensive forms of heating such as Oil or LPG.
• Large numbers of dwellings in Shropshire are poorly or completely un-insulated, with many being of solid wall construction making them harder and more costly to insulate.
• There are a large number of listed buildings in Shropshire which can often be very hard to treat in terms of insulation, double glazing or installing heating.
• Many properties are "under occupied" i.e. one person may be living in a four bedroom house and having to pay to heat the whole house on a single income.
