FACTSHEETS

FUEL RATIONING

In 1942, the government introduced the Fuel Saving Scheme which meant that people were encouraged to use less electricity, coal and gas so that more could be used for factories.

Coal was important in the home as most households had coal fired boilers which burned coal to heat hot water for washing and bathing. The government wanted people to save coal by only having a bath once a week and to share bath water. People were asked not to fill the bath any higher that 12.5 cm and many people painted lines on their bath, including King George IV!

Every household had to appoint someone to be a fuel warden and they checked how many units of fuel the household used in a day. The weekly target was 50 units. Only three shovelfuls of coal were to be used in any one day. All lights had to be switched off when not in use and many people only used small amounts of light to keep fuel use down. Families gathered in one room in the evenings to listen to the radio and play games and this kept fuel use down as it meant that only one room was heated.