the-energy-penalty-disability-and-fuel-poverty-pdf

are likely to be serious for many disabled people, including further strainingthe ability of households to afford to meet their essential energy needs.Illustrations: household energy costsThe report includes three illustrations which seek to show how householdscontaining one or more disabled people can require more gas and/orelectricity than other households. It is important to underline that thefigures shown are intended to be purely illustrative in order to exemplifythe potential extra amount. The situations and needs draw heavily frominformation obtained from the interviews for this research.Making direct comparisons between households containing a disabled personand other households is a complex matter. In particular, this is becausedifferent physical impairments or medical conditions have different impactson people’s fuel requirements. For example, many people with arthritis orcontinence problems will need more hot water than people without theseproblems, while many with mobility and other problems are likely to needhigher space heating consumption than people without these problems.In addition, there is a wide range of ways in which disabled people seek tosafeguard and improve their physical and mental health and quality of life.Some of this will derive from people’s lives before the onset of disability.Others may arise from people’s changed circumstances. For example, usingIT equipment has become an integral part of people’s lives in order to stayin touch and access services, while home entertainment such as gamesconsoles may be vital to help people stay mentally or physically active.There is also the potential impact on energy consumption arising from theuse of equipment such as mobility scooters, stairlifts, communication aids,etc. Moreover, direct comparisons can be complicated further because ofwidely differing types of accommodation, including size of home, energyefficiency, location, access to mains gas, etc.Bearing these caveats in mind, it is intended that the illustrations will helpto exemplify some of the difficulties faced by disabled people and familieswith disabled children with regard to household energy consumption andbills. The sources and methods used for illustrations are explained in briefin the text, and listed in Appendix 2.Focus and methodologyWhilst the report outlines the broader context of fuel poverty, the primefocus is on the energy needs of people with physical, cognitive and sensoryimpairments and of families with disabled children. Where we refer to`disabled people’, the term is used as shorthand to cover householdscontaining one or more disabled adults and/or disabled children. It shouldbe noted that the underlying approach of this research rests on the socialmodel of disability which takes account of how society is organised,10