What is fuel poverty?
A person is living in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, they would be required to spend more than 10 per cent of their household income (including Housing Benefit or Income Support for Mortgage Interest) on all household fuel use.
Causes of fuel poverty
Three factors influence whether a household is in fuel poverty.
- Low household income. The costs of heating a property form a greater proportion of total income for those on low incomes.
- Fuel costs. Higher prices reduce the affordability of fuel. Prices of different types of fuels can vary considerably, as can the availability of different fuels in different areas, and of different types of heating systems. This affects the ability of consumers to exercise choice.
- Energy efficiency. The thermal quality of the building and the efficiency of the heating source determine the amount of energy that must be purchased to heat the home adequately.
The Scottish Government will ensure that by November 2016, so far as is reasonably practicable, people are not living in fuel poverty in Scotland.
How is the Scottish Government addressing fuel poverty?
On 6 April 2009 the Scottish Government introduced a new Energy Assistance Package to replace the Warm Deal and the Central Heating Programmes.
The new package is a more holistic solution, tackling all aspects of fuel poverty. Alongside measures to improve the home, it includes access to energy efficiency advice, energy-tariff advice, and advice on income maximisation. It improves on previous programmes by reaching more people, and by providing a wider range of support in one integrated package.
The range of available measures is wider than had hitherto been available, including for example air source heat pumps and internal wall insulation. It is designed to provide assistance that is more responsive to need.
The Energy Saving Trust manages delivery of the package on behalf of the Scottish Government in partnership with existing advice providers and the energy companies.
You can read more details about the package.
To find out what the package can offer you, telephone the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012.
What else is being done to alleviate fuel poverty?
The Scottish Government cannot achieve its 2016 target alone. Partnership working with local authorities, voluntary bodies and energy companies is essential to achieve it.
The Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement published in August 2002 described what these various partners would do to work toward the target of eradicating fuel poverty as far as reasonably practicable by 2016. A review published in November 2006 provided an update on progress of these actions.
Local authorities, in taking fuel poverty into account in their local housing strategies, have an important contribution to make to achieving the target. The Scottish Government has issued guidance and case studies to help them.