How AI technology can alleviate energy poverty

Cold winter days are the hardest to endure for people suffering energy poverty. "I was getting lethargic sitting still to keep warm," says one. I was saving up the money. Mentally, I was losing my health, cutting down on so many things," says another. "I was holding off with the laundry, even holding off going out looking for a job because you need clean clothes." These are cries for help from people who have contacted the Fuel Bank Foundation over the past year. The charity provides emergency credit to those struggling to pay their energy bills. Requests for support have increased by 23 per cent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Worse still, the foundation says self-disconnection, where households switch off their power supply completely, is a growing problem. Choosing between heating and eating, or between having power or going into debt, are decisions increasing numbers of people are having to make. It has been a long, tough winter. Unemployment currently stands at 5.1 ...