UK – Two thirds of Londoners cannot afford home heating, excess winter deaths reach highest level in fifteen years

TRUE PUBLICA  –  People can’t live good lives without enough energy to heat their homes, cook their meals and power their appliances. Cold homes have a terrible effect on our mental wellbeing and physical health, and London is at the forefront of a fuel poverty crisis.

Excess winter deaths in the capital spiked to 4,000 in 2014/15 – the highest level for 15 years – and in fuel poverty hotspots such as Newham, more than 1 in 7 households are unable to meet their basic energy needs. Last winter, 2 in 3 Londoners turned off or hesitated from using their heating due to high bills.

In a rich society like the UK this is an outrage. The experiment with a privatised energy system has failed us – the profit-driven Big 6 energy supply companies have ripped us off, evaded their social and environmental obligations and left people disillusioned. The time has come to look to the alternatives, of which there are many.

Public energy offers possibilities that the privatised Big 6 never can. Local governments are increasingly realising that not only can they play a role in expanding renewable energy capacity and investing in home insulation, but they can also reduce our energy bills at the same time.

In Nottingham, Bristol and Scotland new non-profit initiatives by local governments and housing associations are setting up fully licenced energy supply companies to provide citizens with cheaper energy and prioritise social justice – no more gouging customers for revenue wherever possible. A public company doesn’t need to resort to such tactics to cover its modest costs.

These new UK models are inspiring and we can learn a lot from them, but we think London can and should go further.

We’re supporting the Switched On London campaign in calling for a new energy company for the capital, owned by the Greater London Authority in collaboration with the boroughs.

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