What are the health effects of fuel poverty?
• Cold, damp homes which are inadequately heated have repeatedly been linked to ill health and early deaths amongst the most vulnerable people in society. The link between energy inefficient housing and ill health is well documented. It causes and exacerbates a number of medical conditions including hypothermia, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses – such as bronchitis – and childhood asthma. In addition, people living in cold and damp conditions tend to suffer more from a range of common illnesses such as colds and flu, with elderly people and young children being particularly at risk. • A Government review of fuel poverty published by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1999 (‘Fuel Poverty: the New HEES – a programme for warmer, healthier homes’) states that “typically 30,000 more people die in the winter in the UK than would be expected given the average death rate for the year … it is much higher in the UK than in other countries, such as Scandinavi
