Winter is always a busy time of year for Fuel Poverty Action. This February has been particularly hectic. Here’s a brief look at some of the things we’ve been up to and how you can get involved.
In the same week that it was announced that 3,000 people could die that week from cold homes, so-called energy regulator Ofgem suggested that people take packed lunches into work so as to save money to pay their rip-off energy bills. In a couple of hours we organised a pack-lunch protest to express our outrage that Ofgem is more interested in regulating our lunches than the Big Six energy companies. See coverage of our action on Russia Today and by Global Justice Now.
There was also action on fuel poverty in Kirklees that week with a ‘warm up theatre stunt’ in Huddersfield where they also handed out copies of our Energy Bill of Rights.
This month we’ve got two new blog posts on our website looking at some of the support and solidarity work that we do with people directly affected by fuel poverty. One is from an English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher at Tower Hamlets college describing how she is covering fuel poverty in her classes. Our second blog post is a victory we have helped secure on behalf of a pensioner couple being harrassed for years by Britsh Gas. This victory shows that we can have concrete and significant wins when we help each other out. If you’d like to get involved in supporting each other in taking on the Big Six energy companies and dodgy landlords who leave us to freeze, get in touch and visit our resources page here.
Thanks to the latest groups to sign up to our Energy Bill of Rights, including our first union – BECTU! Read our Energy Bill of Rights here and take a look at the impressive and diverse list of groups who support it.
Upcoming actions
This week is the Radical Housing Network week of action culminating with a mass action to Block the Budget on Monday 23rd February. There have been loads of actions happening across London organised by local housing action groups – it’s difficult to keep a track of, but the RHN are attempting to here. We’re organising a ‘warm homes bloc’ on the main action on Monday. Join us there to demand warm, healthy, secure homes for all!
Wednesday 25th February is a day of Britain wide solidarity with Tony Cox, an unemployed activist arrested by the police for supporting a fellow claimant at the Job Centre. We’re supporting the statement written by our friends Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty and the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network. When dealing with the Job Centres, housing offices and the Big Six energy companies they want us isolated, alone and scared – they know that when we help each other, we can win!
Have we missed anything?! Let us know what action against fuel poverty you’re planning!
Sharing experiences of fuel poverty and energy rights with ESOL students
Guest blog post from Rebecca, an English for Speakers of Other Languauges (ESOL) teacher at Tower Hamlets College, about the work her class have been doing on fuel poverty.
Fuel Poverty Action works with those affected by fuel poverty to provide support, information and resources, and plan collective action. If you’d like us to visit your group, please get in touch fuelpovertyaction[at]gmail.com.
I heard that another ESOL teacher was doing some work with the Fuel Poverty Action campaign and was interested in right away, because this issue definitely affects our adult students, who find that all other problems are made worse by difficulty in speaking English.
Also I thought it might be a topic where we might actually be able to make an impact. ESOL classes quite often look at big and serious topics like housing, benefits and immigration, since these all affect students’ lives, but it’s often hard to take action that might make a real difference.
Following suggestions from Dermot at English for Action, we began by brainstorming the causes and consequences of Fuel Poverty. We put these onto a ‘problem tree’ and used it to make sentences. Because we had done a lot of speaking (the students had plenty to say on the topic) it was easy for the students to read a simplified version of the ‘Energy Rights’ leaflet.
Next we had a visit from Izzy who talked us through the issues and answered some questions that the students had. We made some questions for Izzy on topics like key meters, negotiating bills, and legal rights.
We then started looking at solutions to the problem and considered what actions we could do as individuals and as a group.
- We told each other our problems and experiences of dealing with energy companies. A lot of people were able to share tips that were helpful right away.
- We role-played different conversations that we might have when phoning companies – this is incredibly hard for many language learners.
- We wrote to our MPs asking them to sign Early Day Motion 395. Some people have had long replies from the MPs which we will read in class at some point. The letters back were friendly and had useful information, but I notice that neither of our MPs have signed the EDM.
- Another teacher in the college began to work on the subject, and produced a great listening activity all about standing up to the ‘Big Six’ bullies. We now have a ‘Fuel Poverty Action’ folder on our computer where we can compile any resources we find or make.
- One student is being supported by Izzy in dealing with her bills. We will see what comes of this and share what she has learned with the group.
- We will continue with the topic as time allows, and hope to be able to deliver short presentations on the topic to other ESOL classes in the college.
- We continue to feedback any progress or even when we notice something to do with fuel poverty or energy prices in the news.
Thanks Izzy and Fuel Poverty Action for all the support!
Rebecca
What Fuel Poverty Action have been up to in 2014 and where we're going in 2015
It’s the end of 2014 and time to reflect on what we’ve done, and to look forward to the future for what comes next for Fuel Poverty Action.
Continue reading “What Fuel Poverty Action have been up to in 2014 and where we're going in 2015”
Water struggles: the battle for basic utilities is on and we have a lot to learn
Yesterday, in Dublin, thousands of people took to the streets, as they have done several times over the last couple of months. Why? In the words of what has become a viral youtube hit, “No Water Privitisation! Irish Water’s Not for Sale!”
How and why have struggles relating to water access — and basic utilities including energy — become so key in 2014?
Continue reading “Water struggles: the battle for basic utilities is on and we have a lot to learn”
Upcoming Energy Rights training sessions
Earlier this year we started trialling ‘Energy Rights training sessions’ with the Kilburn Unemployed Workers’ Group and Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth.Now we’re holding 2 energy rights training session in London in the coming weeks.
-with the Hackney Housing Group on Saturday 29th at 2pm, this session will also have Portugese translation.
-with the Bricklayers Residents & Tenants Group on Wednesday 3rd December
Continue reading “Upcoming Energy Rights training sessions”
Join the Day of Action against winter deaths on 28th November
On the day the government reveals how many people died last year from the effects of fuel poverty, join Fuel Poverty Action and Reclaim the Power to demand ‘No More Deaths from Fuel Poverty: Energy Rights Now!’
Continue reading “Join the Day of Action against winter deaths on 28th November”
Fuel Poverty Action's launch of the Energy Bill of Rights: A Grassroots Movement for Energy Justice Comes In From the Cold
On the evening of Monday 27 October, over a hundred people piled into committee room 12 in the Houses of Parliament for the launch of Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy Bill of Rights. First revealed back in May at a protest outside the British Gas Annual General Meeting held just around the corner, the Energy Bill of Rights is an eight point charter that aims to re-assert what should be basic and standard rights to clean, affordable, democratically controlled energy for everyone.
Launching the Energy Bill of Rights
You, your friends, family, neighbours, and local community group, are warmly invited to Fuel Poverty Action’s launch of our Energy Bill of Rights at Parliament on Monday 27th October at 5pm. Put the date in your diary, drop us an email to let us know you’re coming, and help us get more sign ups for our Energy Bill with a difference!
Register and get your free Eventbrite ticket here: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/
Continue reading “Launching the Energy Bill of Rights”
Shian housing – new boilers now, end fuel poverty!
See also Haringey Housing Action Group’s great blog on the action here
This afternoon Haringey Housing Action Group and Fuel Poverty Action paid a visit to social landlords Shian housing association to demand they take action to replace dodgy boilers that are guzzling up residents’ money.
Continue reading “Shian housing – new boilers now, end fuel poverty!”
E.ON – Hands Off Our Homes!
Complaints against energy companies have reached a record high as people refuse to tolerate rip-off bills and bullying from the Big 6 energy profiteers. Yet, for residents on Myatts Field North estate in south London, there is no escape from E.ON who have a monopoly on the estate’s heating and hot water under a Private Finance Initiative.
Residents on the estate are holding a day of action against the PFI ‘regeneration’ scheme under the banner ‘Our Health, Our Lives, Our Homes’ to highlight their significant concerns with the project. Fuel Poverty Action will be supporting their action. Join us on Friday 25th July at 10am, at Bramah Green Community Centre, Myatts Field North, SW9 7RG.
Continue reading “E.ON – Hands Off Our Homes!”