How Energy Efficiency Can Reduce Fuel Poverty | Glaze & Save

The Scottish House Condition Survey 2016 report was published yesterday (5 December 2017) and found that 26.5% (or around 649,000) households in Scotland were fuel poor and 7.5% (or 183,000 households) were living in extreme fuel poverty in 2016.

This demonstrated a decline of around 4 percentage points; equivalent to around 99,000 fewer households living in fuel poverty compared to 2015. This is the lowest rate recorded by the Scottish House Condition Survey since 2005/6 and the same level as 2007.

While almost two thirds of the reduction in fuel poverty has come from a drop in the price of domestic fuel rates over the period of 2015 and 2016, a third of the drop can be attributed to improvements in energy efficiency.

In 2016, 39% of Scottish homes were rated as EPC band C or better and half had an energy efficiency rating of 66 or higher (SAP 2012). This is similar to 2015 but an increase from 35% in 2014, the first year in which data based on SAP 2012 is available.

This study demonstrates that energy efficiency can have a massive effect on a household’s ability to get out of fuel poverty. The steps that households can take do not need to be expensive or impractical.

As we have previously discussed in our blog on fuel poverty, there are several things that individuals can do to to tackle fuel poverty in their own households.

While the main causes of fuel poverty, rising fuel costs and lower wages, isn’t necessarily something we can do much about individually, there are still several steps you can take to tackle fuel poverty:

• Contact Home Energy Scotland for a Home Energy Check During the Home Energy Check, the staff at Home Energy Scotland will make you aware of energy efficiency measures that you can carry out, changes in behaviour that could save you money, and link you up with potential funding options to help make your home more energy efficient.
• Adopt more energy efficient behaviours For example, making simple behavioural changes such as turning off appliances and closing curtains before dusk can save you £130 per year.
• Consider retrofitting energy efficient technologies in your home For example, Glaze & Save InvisiTherm reduces heating bills by 22.5% in rooms with treated windows.
• Maximise your income Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau to find out which benefits you may be entitled to.
• Switch you energy supplier Using a comparison site makes it easy to find the best energy deal

For a handy guide containing dozens of home energy improvements that cost very little (or are completely free) you can check out Glaze & Save’s free Home Energy Hacks Guide, where you can get the details of a plethora of tips, tricks and products to reduce energy consumption in your home.