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This document is available in a range of formats please contact us with your requirements. Briefing Paper November 2011 Fuel Poverty Disability Disability Action is an organisation working with and for people with disabilities in Northern Ireland. As a campaigning body we work to bring about change and influence policy to ensure that people with disabilities are not disadvantaged in society and can make a valuable and valued contribution. In order to assist understanding of the issues faced by our stakeholders we have produced a series of papers that outline the key concerns that we believe may impact on the lives of disabled people in Northern Ireland. This paper has been produced to provide information on the issues of fuel poverty for disabled people in Northern Ireland. Introduction Research by the Leonard Cheshire Disability in 2009 - Fuel Poverty and Disability, showed that disabled people spend more of their income on fuel and heating their home than households where there is not a disability. A recent CAB survey found that among older people had to make a choice between heating and eating and other essential items such as food, a figure which increased to 59% of disabled people. The survey confirms the anecdotal evidence from Disability Action’s Information Service. The reasons disabled people are more likely to experience fuel poverty are: Disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people and are therefore more likely to be at home all day. Many health conditions are aggravated by the cold Disabled people may not have the option of moving to a more energy efficient home as it will need to be adapted for their needs. Disabled people have on average a 25% higher cost of living due to additional needs such as mobility, aids and care Levels of disability are higher in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK. Case Study Mark is a fifty-five year old man, living on his own in a rural area in the North We