Fuel poverty and high-rise living: using community-based interviewers to investigate tenants’ inability to keep warm in their homes

The number of households living in fuel poverty across the UK is on the increase. This paper explores the experiences of those living in fuel poverty, and seeks to understand the reasons for lack of warmth in homes. Using a case study approach, 101 face-to-face interviews with residents of a high-rise block of flats in Edinburgh were conducted by trained community-based interviewers, many of whom had experience of fuel poverty themselves. As such, this research contributes to our understanding of fuel poverty by giving a voice to those directly affected.