Levels Of Fuel Poverty Higher In Rural Scotland - Caithness and Sutherland Highlighted In The Report
28th April 2023
Research published by Changeworks sets out the impact of far higher levels of fuel poverty on the physical and mental health of people living in rural areas of Scotland.
‘A Perfect Storm: Fuel Poverty in Rural Scotland' was commissioned by the Rural & Islands Housing Associations Forum (RIHAF), the Highlands & Islands Housing Associations Affordable Warmth group (HIHAAW) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The research sets out the drivers, impacts and extent of fuel poverty in rural Scotland, and also identifies solutions. These are presented in the accompanying document Fuel Poverty in Rural Scotland: The Solutions.
Section 7 of the report from page 43 highlights the issues for Caithness and Sutherland
Fuel bills
We modelled the yearly fuel bills needed to meet the standard heating regime in a 3-bedroom property. In Caithness and Sutherland, the modelled yearly bill was £3,132 per year - one-quarter higher than the national average of £2,450. The modelling only accounts for differences in fuel types and their costs and does
not consider behaviour or the energy efficiency of properties.
Caithness and Sutherland have more properties using electricity, oil, LPG, and solid fuels than the rest of Scotland, which explains this
difference. The most common fuel type, oil, is used by 44% of households, compared to 5% in Scotland.
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Josiah Lockhart, Changeworks chief executive, said: "This report highlights an unjust reality; rural Scotland experiences higher levels of fuel poverty than the rest of the country. Even though people in rural areas are on average often using less energy than the rest of the UK, bills in rural Scotland tend to be higher.
"These findings bring to light not only the scale of the issue, but also show that any proposed solutions need to be more specific to the unique challenges faced.
"We need to listen to people in these communities who've been given a platform in this research and deliver resources that are both proportionate and relevant in order to alleviate fuel poverty."
You can read the report and our how we can all best tackle fuel poverty in Scotland by clicking below:
