How many people in Ireland are affected by fuel poverty?
The total number of households suffering from fuel poverty in Ireland in 2001 has been estimated at 429,000 households. Working on the basis of household occupancy of 2.5 persons per household this figure suggests that more then one million people in Ireland were affected by fuel poverty in 2001. With the dramatic rises in energy prices since 2001 it is safe to assume that the number of people living in households experiencing fuel poverty is no lower today and may indeed be significantly higher. 26 Counties: Statistics from 2001 estimated that 226,000 households in the twenty-six counties were affected by fuel poverty (‘Quantify the Severity of Fuel Poverty’, Healy and Clinch 2002). Six Counties: The situation in the six counties is even worse with 203,000 households deemed to be suffering from fuel poverty in 2001 (‘Ending Fuel Poverty’ Department for Social Development). What impact does fuel poverty have? The Institute of Public Health in Ireland have stated that those experiencing
