‍What's happening? Almost 20% of people living in cold, damp homes reported high carbon monoxide (CO) levels in the past year, compared to just 7% of adults overall in the UK, according to data from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition. The risk is especially severe among 18 to 34-year-olds (16%) and households with children (11%). Poor ventilation, outdated boilers and blocking draughts in fuel-poor homes increase exposure to CO, a colourless, odourless and potentially fatal gas. Campaigners are pressing for urgent investment in safe, energy-efficient housing and clean heating to tackle the deadly intersection of poverty and poor housing. (Energy Live News)

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Why does this matter? CO incidents have increased sharply since 2020. In the North East of England, emergency CO call-outs rose by 37% between 2021 and 2023 according to the Northern Gas Network (NGN), with emergency household visits increasing from 1,031 to 1,408. In Cumbria, visits increased by 61% over the same period, from 161 to 260 properties. Suspected CO poisoning incidents in Essex have almost doubled since 2020, while rising cases have also been reported in Devon and Somerset. Experts have linked this increase to cost-of-living pressures, with energy costs soaring since 2020 due to post-pandemic demand and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Fuel poverty and CO – Fuel poverty forces households to make trade-offs that directly increase CO risk. As energy costs rise, people cut back on boiler servicing, attempt to block draughts to retain heat and live with broken or outdated appliances for greater extents of time. These compromises are most common in older, poorly maintained homes, as new builds are generally more energy efficient, with one study by the Home Builders Federation finding that such households save on average £2,600 ($3,500) per year in energy bills. Alternatives such as heat pumps and electric heating eliminate CO risk at the point of use but remain financially out of reach for many. Gas is still significantly cheaper on a unit basis, costing around 5.93p per kWh compared with 27.69p per kWh for electricity.

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The most vulnerable – Younger adults and families are disproportionately exposed. Those aged 18-34 report the highest levels of CO exposure. Some 54% of students surveyed by campaigners experienced damp or mould in their rented property, indicating poor ventilation. Additionally, a lack of awareness among this demographic means symptoms of CO poisoning are sometimes mistaken for hangovers or flu, delaying medical help. This highlights that more awareness needs to be raised on the symptoms of CO poisoning, including dizziness, nausea, headaches and fatigue. Gas heating and cooking appliances are a major source of CO and risk is amplified by the fact that nearly one-third of people in the UK do not have a working CO detector. As a result, around 60 are people killed each year in the UK due to CO poisoning, despite being preventable.

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Landlord responsibility – Cost pressures and limited power to demand repairs from landlords leave many people unable to address CO hazards. A survey by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme Foundation found that 20% of tenants who had issues in their property did not raise them with landlords for fear of rent increases. Even when issues are raised, repairs are generally slow. In 2023, 10% of private rented homes had a Category 1 Hazard, a hazard which is a serious and immediate risk to a person's health and safety, 2% more than owner occupied homes.

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Progress on laws – The introduction of the Renters Rights Act 2025 has increased security for renters, helping tenants feel more empowered to highlight issues. Furthermore, with stronger legal requirements for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for rented properties, it is now unlawful for privately rented properties to have an energy performance rating (EPC) below E, with an aim to set 2030 EPC legal requirements at C. Older houses have the potential to be energy efficient with proper renovations.

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Looking forward – With around 12 million UK households currently struggling with fuel poverty, and energy bills expected to continue increasing over the next 6 years, addressing CO risk requires action on multiple fronts. Raising awareness of poisoning symptoms, ensuring every home has a working detector, strengthening renters’ rights and accelerating investment and legal requirements for energy-efficient homes all need to be prioritised. Without targeted intervention, CO will remain a hidden and unequal cost of the energy crisis.