Blog: Shedding light on fuel poverty

Fuel poverty is dangerous and makes everyday living more difficult through the physical discomfort and financial strain that it causes, as well as the longer term risks to health that come with living in a home that you can’t afford to keep warm enough.

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is intended to help bring light to this situation and to focus on the help that can be provided to people living with fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is a huge concern for many older people, with almost 40% of older households living in fuel poverty.

Our own research shows that before lockdown 20% of older people in Scotland struggled to pay energy bills and overall, three quarters were concerned about being able to do so.

We have heard from many concerned older people that they are worried about their bills during this pandemic, and the Fuel Poverty Monitor has estimated that household fuel bills could rise by £124 a month in fuel poor homes this winter due to people staying at home the majority of the time.

We know that older people tend to be more affected by fuel poverty since they are more likely to live on a fixed income, in a rural community, or have an older, hard-to-heat home.

They are also less likely to have a smart meter or use the internet to shop around for a cheaper energy tariff.

Where can you seek help with fuel poverty?
If you, or a loved one, are worrying about your energy bills, there are organisations you can contact to try and improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Home Energy Scotland can help you find out about funding and support available for home energy improvements: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/

You can also call our freephone Helpline on 0800 12 44 222 for advice.

Our Helpline can also go through a benefits check with you to check that you are receiving all of the income that you are entitled to.