Student households have always struggled with energy costs.
The government’s own data shows us that 40 per cent of households where the “household reference person” (basically the one that pays the bills) is in full-time education were experiencing fuel poverty in 2020 – with income after housing and energy costs an average3 of around £250 below the state definition of household poverty.
The reasons are likely to be linked to low student incomes and the poor state of property rented to students in terms of energy efficiency – both of which are longstanding issues that should have been addressed a long time before the price and supply issues causing current concerns hit.
