McArthur: Record numbers of households estimated to be fuel poor

Scottish Liberal Democrat climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today called on the Scottish Government to move further and faster to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency in households after a survey revealed that record numbers of households are estimated to be fuel poor.

The Scottish House Conditions Survey found that in 2023:

• Around 861,000 households (34% of all households) were in fuel poverty.  
• This is higher than the 2022 fuel poverty rate and it is also the highest rate since 2012 when records of fuel poverty in Scotland began.
• Of these 861,000, 491,000 households were living in extreme fuel poverty.  

Mr McArthur said:

“Fuel poverty causes so much misery for families and individuals across the country.

“The response from the Scottish Government has been very disappointing, with ministers working at a snail’s pace on insulation and other energy efficiency measures. Under the SNP’s flagship scheme, it could take almost 100 years to insulate eligible homes.

“That is simply not good enough. Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to press ministers to roll out a new nationwide insulation programme to meet the scale of the challenge, providing a win-win of cutting emissions and household energy bills.”