Closing the fuel poverty gap: why targeted energy support is vital

Written by Tom Marsland on

Ofgem has announced another increase to the energy price cap. While the cap limits the unit price of energy, there’s no limit to how much households pay overall. If you use more, you pay more.

For millions of people, that means another winter of impossible choices. Disabled people with complex needs are struggling to power vital equipment. Families on low incomes are going without food. Older people are cutting back to a single hot meal a week.

On average, energy bills are £700 higher than five years ago. The Warm Home Discount – a one-off payment of £150 – barely touches the gap, misses too many households, and is due to end in April 2026.

Sense research has found two in five (41%) families with a disabled child can’t afford to keep their home warm enough during winter.

That’s why Sense has joined Scope, Age UK, Mencap, Fair by Design, Independent Age and energy company E.ON to call for urgent government action.

What needs to change

Extend the Warm Home Discount

  • Keep the scheme beyond 2026
  • Raise the payment to £400, in line with the fuel poverty gap
  • Ensure disabled people can access support
  • Add £100 booster payments for disabled households and for those paying by Standard Credit

This would give immediate relief and a bridge to longer-term reform.

Introduce fairer energy bills by 2027–28

We’re calling for a new payment-based energy discount (or “social tariff”) for:

  • Households where someone receives benefits, including disability benefits
  • Low-income households earning under £30,000

Support would start at £700 for the lowest incomes and taper down as earnings rise. Disabled households and those paying by Standard Credit would receive an extra £100.

Why it matters

This plan could lift more than a million households out of fuel poverty. It would mean disabled people with complex needs are not forced into debt just to stay warm and families are not left choosing between heating and eating.

What happens next

The government has promised to consult on energy support but has set no date. We’re calling for:

  • A public consultation by autumn 2025
  • Legislative changes in 2026
  • A new system in place by winter 2027

Every winter without action puts more lives at risk.

Find out more

You can read the full report on Public First’s website.