Three Scots areas found to be in urgent need of home insulation

It comes after government advisers called for a new wave of financial support for Scotland's most vulnerable as it emerged the number of Scots households living in extreme fuel poverty has more than doubled since before the pandemic.

Concerns have been raised that the Scottish Government is behind in a bid to hit a target that no more than 1% of households would be in extreme fuel poverty by 2040.

The panel which oversees the Scottish Government's progress in its strategy for tackling fuel poverty and acts as a statutory consultee is concerned over the current extreme fuel poverty rate from March which estimates there were 739,500 households in extreme fuel poverty - around 29% of homes. That's a rise from 12.4% in 2019.

READ MORE: ScotGov advisers give warning as extreme fuel poverty levels double

Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel raised concerns about the "particularly worrying" rising levels of fuel poverty in Scotland.

The panel said consideration could be given to whether there should be a Scotland-specific social tariff - which is a discount on energy for those most in need - and whether this might better serve the needs of those suffering fuel poverty in Scotland.

It said that the Scottish Government should review the amount of investment needed to improve the energy efficiency of homes and develop an "accelerated rolling five year programme".

Research from the consumer organisation Which has revealed the Scottish locations in greatest need of insulation upgrades, scoring each area between one and 10 for the greatest insulation need.

With energy prices having doubled over the last two years and the need to take action on climate change increasing exponentially, home energy efficiency has become a critical issue for households.

But Which said current insulation levels fall "worryingly short" of where they need to be.

The three local authority areas found to have the most urgent need in Scotland all scored a maximum 10 on the insulation priority scale.

But the Western Isles was said to be the most of need of the three in a detailed examination of wall, roof and floor insulation.

Its ‘priority places for insulation’ index identifies needs based on different aspects of insulation – roof, floor and wall – as well as property age and type alongside economic, social and health factors.

Properties in the Na H-Eileanan Siar council area whose biggest centre of population is Stornoway, tended to have "very poor levels of wall insulation, very poor levels of roof insulation, and very poor levels of floor insulation", according to the analysis.

It also said the population in the area had a "very high proportions of older people with high prevalence of health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases"

There are also high levels of fuel poverty in this area.

The level of available insulation installers in Na H-Eileanan Siar was classed as "very poor" compared to other local authorities in Scotland.

From the sources examined and assumptions used, Which said it could not find any insulation installers available to service the area.

Which warned that poorly insulated homes have a "particularly damaging" impact on households that are on low incomes and struggle to meet energy bill costs, as well as households that have health conditions – such as respiratory diseases – affected by cold, or if the residents are older.

The Great British insulation scheme, which was announced by the UK government in November and is up and running, is backed with £1bn to spend on grants for homes that have low energy efficiency ratings and are in lower council tax bands.

It offers upgrades – such as roof, loft or cavity wall insulation – that could cut energy costs by between £300 to £400 a year.

Which's priority insulation index map

The scheme is due to help hundreds of thousands of people, including some of the most vulnerable in society, get the upgrades their homes need, while cutting their energy bills.

A fifth of those helped will be from low-income households, targeting those on means-tested benefits, living in the least-efficient social housing, or referred by a participating local authority or energy supplier and considered vulnerable.

Which is calling for the government to ensure households living in fuel poverty can access insulation support.

They said there are existing grants for improving the energy efficiency of homes which are predominantly focused on households in receipt of benefits but said the uptake of recent schemes has been "disappointing".

Rocio Concha, Which director of policy and advocacy, said: “High energy bills and keeping warm are major issues for people across the UK, and both are exacerbated by poor insulation. 

“The government must ensure support and funding reaches fuel poor and vulnerable households most at risk from a lack of insulation in their homes, and that households have access to reliable installers and the information and advice they need to support them through some of the complex decisions involved in insulating a home.”

Dumfries and Galloway which was seen as have the second most urgent need for insulation was said to have properties with "poor levels of wall insulation, very poor levels of roof insulation, and very poor levels of floor insulation".

The research said that the population in Dumfries And Galloway has a "very high proportion of older people with high prevalence of health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases". There were also high levels of fuel poverty.

Properties in South Ayrshire were said to have "good levels of wall insulation, very poor levels of roof insulation, and poor levels of floor insulation".

The population was also home to "very high proportions of older people with very high prevalence of health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Fuel poverty was, however, said to be at average levels.

Stirling was the area with the least urgency for work on insulation in Scotland according to the study.

Properties tended to have "very good levels of wall insulation, very good levels of roof insulation, and average levels of floor insulation".

The analysis went on: "The population in Stirling have low proportions of older people with very low prevalence of health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. There are also very low levels of fuel poverty in this area."

A UK Government spokesman said: "Our Energy Price Guarantee remains in place to protect people until April next year. 

"The UK government recognises the cost-of-living challenges families are facing and we spent £40 billion paying around half a typical household’s energy bill last winter.

"We are providing additional targeted support for the most vulnerable, with three million households expected to benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount and millions of vulnerable households will receive up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments."

Energy minister Gillian Martin said: “Scotland has a generous package of support for energy efficiency and climate-friendly heating systems. We have also recently relaunched our Warmer Homes Scotland programme to improve the homes of people living in fuel poverty.

“Our fuel poverty programmes are targeted at the most vulnerable, providing help with energy efficiency improvements and renewable forms of heating. We also offer direct help with energy costs in some circumstances.”

Scote energy minister Gillian Martin said: "Scotland has a generous package of support for energy efficiency and climate-friendly heating systems. We have also recently relaunched our Warmer Homes Scotland programme to improve the homes of people living in fuel poverty.

“Our fuel poverty programmes are targeted at the most vulnerable, providing help with energy efficiency improvements and renewable forms of heating. We also offer direct help with energy costs in some circumstances.”