Nearly 5,000 Scottish households facing fuel poverty have missed out on energy efficiency upgrades as £60 million from a government fund went unspent. Energy and housing groups are urging the Scottish Government to address the issue of Scotland's leaky housing stock.
Nearly 5000 Scots households stuck in fuel poverty have missed out on home energy upgrades as £60million of a government cash pot went unspent, new figures show. Latest Scottish Government stats reveal nearly a third of a £192million fund for energy efficiency projects across the country has gone unused over the last three years. That’s a total of around £61.8million - including £10million in 2023-24 alone.
Energy and housing groups said SNP ministers must now “get to grips” with Scotland’s leaky housing stock to help lift homeowners and tenants out of fuel poverty. The funding pot for Area Based Schemes (ABS) is provided by the Holyrood government to councils to fund upgrades like wall and loft insulation for homes in Scotland’s most fuel-poor areas. Housing body the Existing Homes Alliance (EHA) said the unspent cash could have funded upgrades for almost 5000 homes. Around a third of households in Scotland are currently languishing in fuel poverty as winter starts to bite. Frazer Scott, CEO of fuel poverty campaigners Energy Action Scotland, blamed this on “poor energy efficiency standards of homes combined with incredibly high energy costs and real term falls in income”. He told the Record: “Thousands of families have missed out because ABS budgets haven’t been spent. Homes that haven’t improved, costs that haven’t reduced and comfort levels simply not afforded. “Scotland has ambitions to eliminate fuel poverty but still about half of all homes in Scotland are inefficient. The need is great and it is vital that the Scottish Government gets to grips with this programme to lift people out of fuel poverty.” Gillian Campbell, co-director of the EHA, said: “The ABS programme is an excellent scheme that has seen over £130million invested in upgrading homes in the last three years. That investment is transforming the lives of whole communities, cutting fuel poverty, creating jobs and improving health and wellbein
FUEL POVERTY ENERGY EFFICIENCY GOVERNMENT FUNDING SCOTLAND HOUSING
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