Fuel poverty scheme helps just 2.3% Highland households in 11 years

The Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme has helped just 2.3% of households in Highland since it was launched eleven years ago, analysis by the Highland Liberal Democrats has shown.

David Green, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, warned “progress made across the Highlands has not kept pace with the scale of the challenge” and called for “a new emergency insulation programme.”

Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme, was launched in 2015 to support households at risk of fuel poverty by providing essential insulation and heating improvements.

The scheme offers more than 40 energy-saving measures, ranging from electric storage heaters to boiler upgrades and loft insulation. However, in the eleven years since its launch, just 2,626 households across the Highland Council area have received support.

The latest Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) data for the Highlands estimates that 33% of households are in fuel poverty - meaning many more families are struggling to heat their homes. That is also significantly higher than the national average of 24%. Fuel poverty levels across the Highland Council area are the second highest in among local authorities in Scotland.

According to the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, there is a “structural disadvantage to rurality,” pointing to factors such as limited fuel options and housing conditions result in many rural households paying more for their energy while using less.

David Green, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said:

“People are really struggling with the increasing cost of living. But for many, energy bills are higher than they should be because they live in poorly-insulated homes with inefficient heating.

“Looking back over the last decade since the Scottish Government’s fuel poverty scheme was launched, the progress made across the Highlands has not kept pace with the scale of the challenge

“To bring down bills and emissions, Scottish Liberal Democrats would launch a new emergency insulation programme, speed up a climate-friendly heating roll-out, and drive a rooftop solar revolution.”

ENDS.

Notes to editors:

• Figures on the Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme can be found in parliamentary questions here and here. They are summarised here.
• Figures for the number of households in each council area were sourced from the National Records of Scotland, here.
• The Scottish Government’s estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty are published here.