Impact Report 2023-24

National Energy Action’s Impact Report 2023-24 highlights the work we’ve done and the challenges we’ve faced over the last year as the national fuel poverty and energy efficiency charity.

National Energy Action’s vision is to end fuel poverty and make sure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we work in partnership with many stakeholders; we provide advice and support; we campaign and advocate; we undertake research and share insights; and we train and educate.

Strategic priorities

In 2023-24, we continued work under our current strategic priorities:

1. Tackling the worst first: securing support for those whose conditions are the worst and need the greatest, and who have the least ability to act for themselves
2. Support guaranteed: enabling and making available support which is consistent and relevant to need
3. A decade of delivery: working to ensure plans, guidance and targets are put into action

2023-24: a year of increasing hardship and struggle

Last winter, National Energy Action estimated that there were 6.5 million households living in fuel poverty across the UK. That’s two million more households who were unable to keep their homes affordably warm, healthy and safe than at the start of the energy crisis in 2021.

More households were falling into debt, and affordability pressures were much greater. The year ended with typical domestic energy prices of £1,928 between January and March 2024. Domestic energy debt levels soared, with the average debt level increasing by around 50%, with the total now sitting at its highest ever level of £3.1bn. The number of households in debt increased by around 20%.

In April 2023, the Energy Bills Support Scheme ended. In July 2023, so did the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), increasing annual energy payments for the typical household. Standing charge increases worsened the situation. We ended the financial year in April 2024 with average energy costs of £1,690, compared to £1,277 in October 2021.

‘More supported delivered to individual clients than ever before’

National Energy Action Chief Executive Adam Scorer on the impact we’ve had as a fuel poverty charity in 2023-24.

‘In our five-year strategy, written in 2021, we said that when it came to fuel poverty and cold homes, we could not afford to just mop up the flood, we had to turn off the tap.

‘We had no idea at that stage just how deep and overwhelming the flood would become for millions of households.

‘This impact report shows just how much we have achieved over the past year. Through crisis interventions for people desperate for support with their energy bills. For those who had cut off, not cut back, their use of energy. Also, with partners and policymakers seriously looking for more fundamental, long-term solutions to fuel poverty.

‘We have all experienced the same flood. But we are not all in the same boat. This report shows how National Energy Action is concerned with the worst cases, the most stubborn problems, and the most challenging solutions.

‘The charity has grown to the task. We ended the year with more people working for National Energy Action than at any point in our history. More support delivered to individual clients than ever before. More partnerships, within and beyond the energy sector.‘

Read our full 2023-24 Impact Report.