Recommendation 15

Direct reductions in energy bills ensure that money is spent on energy, giving pensioners the confidence needed to turn the heating on. This is currently provided through the Warm Homes Discount, which provides a discount of £150 on bills for households on means-tested benefits. There is general agreement that this does not go far enough. There are many people on fuel poverty but not in receipt of means-tested benefits and the amount is insufficient to meet a fuel poverty gap of £400 (£700 in rural areas). There is widespread support for a scheme to provide more generous discounts on bills to a wider range of people (sometimes referred to as a ‘social tariff’). (Conclusion, Paragraph 94)