Friends of the Earth Scotland have been involved in the fuel poverty debate for many years, and are members of the Scottish Executive’s Fuel Poverty Forum. We welcome the large reductions in the number of households in fuel poverty as reported in the Scottish Housing Condition Survey 2002. However, without substantial improvements in the overall energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes, the cut in the level of those living in fuel poverty is unlikely to be sustained since both fuel prices and income are likely to fluctuate. The Scottish Executive have pledged to eradicate fuel poverty. In order for this to be delivered and sustained in the long run there must be a much greater effort to bring Scotland’s housing stock up to the highest standards of energy efficiency.

Fuel Poverty Parliamentary Briefing