Fuel poverty campaigners are urging ministers to prepare an emergency support plan as the Iran-driven energy price surge threatens to push millions deeper into hardship.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned that rising wholesale gas prices could drive bills back up from July, potentially leaving around 13 million households spending more than 10% of their income on energy.
While the price cap is set to fall slightly in April, pressure is already building with heating oil costs doubling for some off-gas households and wider increases expected to follow.
The group is calling for a targeted package of support rather than a repeat of the blanket subsidies seen in 2022, which cost more than £35 billion.
Proposals include a new long-term support scheme for households using heating oil and LPG, alongside targeted bill reductions if prices spike again.
It also wants faster rollout of debt relief schemes and reforms to existing measures such as the Warm Home Discount.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the coalition, said: “Millions of households are still recovering from the last energy crisis, with record levels of energy debt and many already struggling to afford their bills.
“The risk is that we see another wave of fuel poverty driven by the oil and gas price crisis… This is history repeating itself.”
Campaigners argue ministers must act now rather than wait for prices to rise further.
They also say support should be funded through windfall taxes on energy firms benefiting from volatile markets.
The coalition said its plan is designed to sit alongside longer-term policies aimed at cutting bills permanently through energy efficiency and clean power.
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