What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the number of people experiencing fuel poverty in Mid and West Wales?
The local fuel poverty estimates for Wales were published in April 2020. Levels of fuel poverty in Gwynedd were estimated to be 12,000 households (23% of all households), Ceredigion at 7000 households (21% of all households), 10,000 households in Powys (17% of all households), 8000 households in Pembrokeshire (15% of all households) and 11,000 households in Carmarthenshire (14% of all households).
In Wales, approximately 144,000 households were at risk of fuel poverty. That is spending between 8-10% of their household income on meeting their domestic energy needs. The recent surge in the cost of wholesale gas, which is reflected in the increase in domestic energy bills this year, is likely to have resulted in many of these households being plunged into fuel poverty.
The Welsh Government is in the process of commissioning new estimates of fuel poverty and expects these to be published in the spring. The revised estimates will inform the development of the next iteration of our Warm Homes Programme. The Welsh Government expects to start a consultation on the next iteration of the programme by no later than the end of December, which will consider householder eligibility and the home energy efficiency measures which be available through the scheme from spring 2023.