Can Warm Rents Eliminate Fuel Poverty?
16th April 2026
Too many social housing residents are living through winter in homes as cold as 10 to 12°C. The WHO recommends a minimum of 18°C. Half a million socially rented households in the UK are currently in fuel poverty. This episode asks a simple but powerful question: what if we stopped paying for the consequences and started funding the cause?
Jenny Danson, Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Homes Hub, speaks with Alex Willey, Project Director at Healthy Homes Hub, about the Warm Rents programme and why this winter matters.
Key insights
Fuel poverty in social housing is structural, not behavioural. It is driven by poor energy efficiency and low income, not lifestyle choices
Estimated cost of heating a fuel-poor household for a full season is around £500. Compare that to the cumulative cost of damp and mould repairs, financial support, and repeated call-outs
72% of social homes are now in EPC bands A to C, up from 52% in 2017, but over half a million households remain in fuel poverty
Warm Rents connects directly to the NHS 10-year plan and its emphasis on shifting spend from treatment to prevention
Resources and links
Housing Forum policy briefing — Linking social rents to energy efficiency: housingforum.org.uk/energy-efficiency-social-rent
Jenny Danson in Inside Housing — Let’s reduce fuel poverty by guaranteeing warm homes: insidehousing.co.uk
Government Warm Homes Plan (GOV.UK): gov.uk/government/publications/warm-homes-plan
Sign up for Housing Providers closes end of April 2026
A small cohort of housing providers is being recruited for the 2026/27 programme. Places are limited by design. If any part of this conversation resonated, do not wait.
Contact Alex Willey, alex@healthyhomeshub.uk to register your interest or arrange an initial conversation.
