Living in a cold home harms the health of babies, children and teenagers. Growing up in a cold home can
impact on weight gain, development and emotional wellbeing. Living in fuel poverty directly affects people’s
ability to afford decent food. The likelihood of suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma is more than
doubled for children living in a cold home. Teenagers are more likely to participate in risk taking behaviours
outside the home and their risk of developing multiple mental health problems is increased by cold homes.
Educational achievement can be negatively affected as living in overcrowded or damp housing means
children are more likely to miss school. Cold homes are also known to impact on resilience and emotional
well-being which will ultimately worsen life chances. Ultimately growing up in cold damp homes will have a
real effect on a child’s health, learning and enjoyment of life
