Fuel Poverty

Written by Kirsty Williams AM and published in County Times 25th January 2008 on Fri 25th Jan 2008

It may be a new year but the cold nights are still with us and many amongst us will still be fighting back the chill and warming up by putting on by flicking on the central heating switch. But for some it's not quite that simple, a large number of vulnerable and often elderly people in our communities are without adequate heating systems or without the money to pay for ever- increasing fuel prices. You may be surprised by the idea of fuel poverty in this country but it is a very real and important issue. Rural areas such as ours, with the many old stone cottages, have more than their fair share of homes that are hard to heat and this is made worse by the fact that charges are again on the rise.

Living in a rural area also appears to limit residents in the type of energy they can access. Roger Williams MP and I have found that whole areas of B & R are being left without the opportunity to connect up to mains gas due to the shocking charges that are being quoted and other individuals are being given equally outrages quotes to connect to the electricity grid. One constituent was asked to pay more than £40,000 to connect his new home in East Radnorshire to the grid, merely 800 metres away. I am angered that companies are attempting to profiteer from rural people in this way and I have written to the regulator calling for this practice to be investigated.

An environmentally friendly solution to these difficulties is microgeneration. Microgeneration describes zero or low-carbon heat and power options, and does not necessarily have to be small-scale energy production. The Energy Saving Trust's decentralising energy report, concludes that, by 2050, microgeneration could provide 30 to 40 % of the UK's total electricity needs and could help to reduce carbon emissions by 15 %. The Liberal Democrats would like to see a move away from a system that makes us reliant on the National Grid, and instead seek to decentralise power. Fortunately within our own county we are seeing a keen move by both individuals and whole communities towards microgeneration. In Talybont-on-Usk a project is underway to harness renewable energy sources such as water, wind and sun; similar action is happening in Talgarth with the 'Low Carbon Communities' initiative and in Rhayader residents are looking to becoming a transition town.

We must however ensure that that such community groups are not dominated by those who can afford the financial and time constraints of such an interest. The disadvantaged and elderly who face fuel poverty could benefit the most and should have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from these sustainable alternatives.

In addition to financial resources, we need the provision of proper impartial advice for people who want to take steps in this direction. In the past constituents have fallen ill to unscrupulous sale reps selling them technologies, such as solar panels, which turn out to be unsuitable for their homes. Campaigners in Knighton have set a good example of what can be done to give people advice on how to reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs at the same time in a way that is tailored to individual's needs. Microgeneration might sound small, but it has a big part to play in the energy agenda and tackling of fuel poverty.