No child should grow up in a cold home
Young lives are blighted
In National Energy Action’s Youth Insights for Change workshops, many students described staying in bed under covers as a heat saving strategy and avoiding being at home (spending time at friends’ homes or clubs) to keep warm. One child talked about school as the ‘safe, warm space’.
Workbook responses repeatedly mentioned not inviting friends home; fearing judgement of a ‘cold, smelly, mouldy’ home; feeling left out; and spending time at friends’ houses to avoid being at home.
How to solve this
The evidence points to multiple solutions that could alleviate these problems:
- Warm homes standards that prioritise children and damp/mould enforcement across tenures and all UK nations
- Child‑focused retrofit and insulation programmes
- Income support and energy debt protections, with tiered support for families with children
- Funded breakfast/warm spaces in schools
- Accessible crisis support and wraparound referrals through trusted settings
Ben’s story: Candles and cold
Ben’s cold home used to make his eczema worse – and he would have to sit in the dark with candles. Find out how we helped him.
Ellie’s story: Playing ‘penguins’
Ellie used to play ‘penguins’ as her family would huddle together for warmth. It was her parents’ brave way of shielding her from the realities of fuel poverty.