The upcoming hike in the cap on energy bills will affect everyone in the country. But it seems some areas are set to be hit harder hit than others. According to environmental group Friends of the Earth, some places in England are ‘hotspots’ for rising costs due to how much energy they use versus how much they earn.
Birmingham, Bradford and Cornwall were found to be worst hit due to the high levels of energy use and having below-average household income. Their energy use may be higher as homes are poorly insulated, meaning more energy is needed to keep them warm.
What’s worse is that hotspots within these regions are more likely to be occupied by children and are twice as likely to have people of colour live in them.
Birmingham was found to have the highest number of high-energy, low-income hotspots, with 415 (65 percent of the whole city), whereas Bradford had 162 of them (52 percent). Cornwall was third, with 152 spots (46 percent of the county).
Friends of the Earth created a table of cities and counties with the most hotspots as well as a searchable function which allows you to check out how many there are in your area.
The lists for highest number of hotspots is as follows:
Birmingham, 415
Bradford, 162
Cornwall, 150
Sandwell, 116
County Durham, 111
Enfield, 111
Croydon, 105
Leicester, 96
Walsall, 95