Fuel Poverty Resources

Fuel poverty is an increasing reality for many people across Scotland who are struggling to effectively heat their homes and cope with rising domestic fuel bills.   The official definition of fuel poverty is the need to spend 10% or more of income to pay for fuel bills.  Fuel poverty can cause or worsen ill health, compound poverty, increase stress and can have a detrimental impact on education for some children.

In July 2011 the Department for Energy and Climate Change reported that 32.7% of Scottish households are considered to be ‘fuel poor’.  The current climate of rising costs of living, unemployment and ever increasing domestic fuel bills is likely to worsen matters with many people struggling to cope on incomes just above the official level considered for fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government has a statutory duty to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016 and local authorities are tasked in achieving this, however, there are wider responsibilities at UK Government and European Union levels.  

Listed below are some links to resources that we have found to be useful.  Please let us know if there is anything you would like us to add.

National Energy Action Fuel Poverty Research Database - this holds a wide range of research papers on fuel poverty and other related research and is open to submission of publications.

Energy Action Scotland's Adviser Toolkit - is aimed primarily at supporting frontline advisors from various fields whose clients include the vulnerable and/or those in fuel poverty. The Toolkit is available to download in full, by chapter and as individual factsheets.

Annual Report on Fuel Poverty Statistics 2011 - a report of from the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

The Scottish Power Energy People Trust funds not-for-profit groups that help people whose lives are affected by fuel poverty.

British Gas Energy Trust funds individuals and families as well as not-for-profit groups that help people whose lives are affected by fuel poverty.