Citizens Advice Rural Cambs on winter fuel poverty

Each year in rural Cambridgeshire alone, we see hundreds of clients who are living in fuel poverty. In a nutshell, the government defines this as households who are living in a property with an Energy Performance Rating of D or below; and when they spend the required amount to heat their home, they are left with very little money or find themselves in a deficit.

Between October 1 and December 31 2025, the energy price cap has been increased by two per cent for those on a standard tariff compared to the previous three months. This means for many people who are covered by the cap, they will be paying more.

We expect this will push more households into fuel poverty and for those on pre-payment meters, they may even experience fuel crisis, where they are at risk of living without light, heat, and power.

Thanks to our funders, and excellent team of advisers, we are here to support clients in fuel poverty, however there are small steps all households can consider which may reduce the chance of falling into crisis:

· Fix your tariff: If you are on a tight budget and need the reassurance of a consistent charge for energy, it’s advised you ‘fix’ your energy tariff. This means that for a set period (usually 12 months) you sign up to a contract with a specific supplier to pay a fixed sum per unit of electric/gas used.

This way, provided you’re sending over regular and accurate meter readings, you won’t have the worry that the price cap increase will send your bills rocketing.

· Consider a Smart Meter: Tired of estimated bills, struggling to remember to send in readings? A smart meter can automatically send gas and electricity meter readings to your supplier, meaning they can bill you accurately for the energy you’ve used.

You can change how often readings are sent, and it’s free to have it installed. Remember the Smart Meter is not the same as your In-Home Display unit which is the handy screen which gives you regular updates of what you’re using, helping you to stay in control. If you’re interested, contact your supplier about installation.

· Improve your property’s energy efficiency: Most of us have the ability to improve our property’s ability to retain warmth and save fuel. Some low-cost measures include: draught-proofing tape for windows and doors, secondary glazing for windows and using an effective heating regimen so that the heating and hot water only comes on a designated times when temperatures reach a certain level.

Remember to report cold and draughty conditions to your landlord if you are renting, because there may be a structural issue that needs addressing.

If you want to know more about the above, or for additional tips, please don’t hesitate to contact us or come to one of our drop in sessions. We also use our Facebook page to keep followers up to date on where we are delivering energy advice in the community at events.

Finally, we have three new community energy advisers, who once trained will be reaching out to third party agencies and venues in order to assist vulnerable, marginalised residents who are currently not able to access our services.

The aim is to alleviate fuel poverty in our under-represented locations within Huntingdonshire, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire. If you are interested in hosting one of the team at your community event or venue, please don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange a conversation.

For help and support with energy issues residents should contact Citizens Advice Rural Cambs on the details below:        

   · Adviceline: 0808 278 7807 - Monday to Friday 09.30am to 3.30pm            

  · Email or Web chat via:  www.citizensadviceruralcambs.org.uk           

         · Information also available on our website at  www.citizensadvice.org.uk*