The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publishes annual fuel poverty statistics at local authority and LSOA (Lower-layer Super Output Area) level. The latest 2016 dataset was published in June 2018.
A household is considered to be fuel poor if:
Fuel poverty and poor energy efficiency in the home have a negative impact on people's health. The link is analysed in the 2011 report by the Marmot Review team and Friends of the Earth, 'The Health Impacts of Cold Homes and Fuel Poverty'.
Key Statistics
Area |
No. of households |
No. of fuel poor households |
% fuel poor households |
Mendip |
48,640 |
4,834 |
9.9% |
Sedgemoor |
51,401 |
5,414 |
10.5% |
South Somerset |
73,285 |
7,468 |
10.2% |
Taunton Deane |
49,489 |
4,759 |
9.6% |
West Somerset |
16,522 |
1,916 |
11.6% |
Somerset |
239,337 |
24,391 |
10.2% |
South West |
2,385,793 |
243,893 |
10.2% |
England |
22,996,229 |
2,550,565 |
11.1% |
Table 2: Somerset LSOAs with highest rates of fuel poverty (2016) | |||||
LSOA Code (2011) | LSOA Name (2011) | LA Name | Estimated number of fuel poor households | Estimated number of households | Proportion of households fuel poor (%) |
E01029100 | Bridgwater Hamp East | Sedgemoor | 93 | 519 | 17.9 |
E01029247 | Yeovil Westfield | South Somerset | 117 | 661 | 17.7 |
E01029293 | Taunton Roman Road | Taunton Deane | 114 | 645 | 17.7 |
E01029109 | Bridgwater Sydenham North | Sedgemoor | 95 | 543 | 17.5 |
E01029096 | Bridgwater Eastover North | Sedgemoor | 109 | 632 | 17.2 |
E01029111 | Bridgwater Kendale Road | Sedgemoor | 162 | 1,013 | 16.0 |
E01029336 | Porlock and District | West Somerset | 165 | 1,043 | 15.8 |
E01029236 | Yeovil Penn Mill North | South Somerset | 98 | 647 | 15.1 |
E01029099 | Bridgwater Hamp West | Sedgemoor | 80 | 534 | 15.0 |
E01029106 | Bridgwater Sydenham Central | Sedgemoor | 97 | 650 | 14.9 |
View our dashboard of Fuel Poverty data including annual figures for 2010 to 2015 and a map of Somerset showing the areas with higher and lower levels of fuel poverty.
Winter Fuel Payment was introduced in 1997 aimed at tackling fuel poverty amongst pensioners. It is an annual tax-free payment of between £100 and £300 to those eligible to help meet the costs of heating their homes in winter.
In 2016/17, there were just under 140,000 recipients in Somerset aged 60 or older, including almost 35,000 aged 80 or older (see Table 3)
All | Female | Male | |
Age 60-64 | 9,380 | 5,630 | 3,740 |
Age 65-69 | 38,640 | 19,630 | 19,010 |
Age 70-74 | 31,810 | 16,290 | 15,520 |
Age 75-79 | 22,660 | 11,900 | 10,750 |
Age 80 or older | 34,780 | 20,590 | 14,200 |
All Age 60 or older | 137,270 | 74,040 | 63,220 |
Further Information
48% of the Somerset population live in a Rural area compared to 18% across England overall - Rurality