Helping homes in fuel crisis.

Prepaying for energy but not having the money to do so means living without heat and light. We provide people with the financial support and practical advice that they need to get back on their feet.

Fuel Bank Foundation is the only UK charity to focus on the challenges of people living in fuel crisis.

The energy supplier npower developed Fuel Bank. The goal was to identify and support those in fuel crisis. npower put together a team of specialists who used their expertise to work on the problem. Fuel Bank has the experience to generate meaningful, long-lasting change. In 2017, Fuel Bank Foundation became an independent registered charity.

Fuel Bank Foundation is the only UK charity to focus on the challenges of people living in fuel crisis.

Fuel Bank Foundation provides emergency financial support through our network of partners. We identify people who cannot afford to pre-pay for their fuel or energy. Often they will have used up all their options for support. This means that when their money runs out, they have no heating or means to cook hot food. We call this “fuel crisis”.

One-off emergency financial support is not a long-term solution. We seek solutions for the problems faced by those in fuel crisis. We do this by offering support and advice to people affected.

97% of households receive same-day support.

There has been a significant rise of people seeking help from food banks and advice agencies in the UK. Recent events have made the problem worse. For some households the Covid-19 pandemic brought higher energy usage and reduced income. The cost-of-living crisis has seen a huge increase in energy bills. Fuel supply, war and rising inflation are causes of this current crisis.

Crises come and go, but the problem of fuel poverty remains.

More and more people are struggling to find the money to pre-pay for their fuel or energy. These households face difficult choices. Should they eat hot food, or heat their homes? The Fuel Bank movement was set up because people shouldn’t have to live like this.

We are working for greater collaboration between government, energy companies and third parties. This is how we can best support those who find themselves in fuel poverty. We must also work on a longer term prevention agenda. It will need policy change to prevent this situation occurring in the first place.