How to save people like former nurse Roxy from Scotland's fuel poverty trap

Argyll resident Roxy Malik has been facing this reality for years. Roxy was forced to give up work in 2019, at the age of 59, due to various long-term health conditions, including osteoarthritis, ME, long Covid and Raynaud's. As a former NHS nurse who had worked all her life, this sudden change in circumstances has been a shock to the system.

Forced to rent out her previous home, Roxy was living in a cabin year-round, and she noted: “I used to call it my coffin. I’d be sitting with a heater on in one room and a hot water bottle. Getting up in the night to heat it up. You learn to survive, though, you do.”

Now back in her previous home, a modest house that she cannot fully heat, after her cabin fell into disrepair, Roxy worries about what her future may bring.

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Fuel poverty is increasing

We are currently in a fuel poverty emergency. A household is considered as living in fuel poverty if it must spend more than ten per cent of its net income after housing on maintaining a satisfactory heating regime. The most recent statistics from the Scottish House Condition Survey and Scottish Government showed overall fuel poverty in Scotland was 34 per cent in 2023, up from 31 per cent in 2022.

Prices are proving challenging enough for those of you living on the gas grid and yet there are many parts of rural Scotland, ironically often where energy generation is highest, where people have to make do with electric heating, which can be up to four times more expensive.

The energy price cap is set to increase again this next week, and residents across Scotland head toward another winter with genuine concerns about whether they will be able to heat their homes. No one should have to choose between heating and eating, and yet still, in 2025, this is a reality for many.

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In August, Ofgem announced that the price cap will increase again this autumn, described as a “modest” rise of two per cent. Modest or not, without the introduction of a social energy tariff – a discounted energy price for those who meet the eligibility criteria – people across Scotland will suffer again this winter.

For someone like Roxy, this could make all the difference. “A social energy tariff seems like a fairer way of doing things; it accounts for what a person needs, such as their health and medical needs.”

An outdated system

ALIenergy marks its 25th anniversary of supporting people with fuel poverty this week. This is a societal issue that affects not just rural areas, but can also impact anyone, including those like Roxy, who have worked their whole life and suddenly find themselves in a situation out of their control.

Recent statistics from the Scottish Housing Condition Survey showed that the median fuel poverty gap for fuel poor households in Scotland was £1,250. This is the amount of additional income a household would need to escape fuel poverty.

Clearly, the energy price cap and current standing charges are an outdated system, and without major changes to energy pricing, action must be taken to curb the shocking number of people entering and living in fuel poverty.

Best chance to address crisis

So what is the political response to all this? Fuel poverty is often a point of contention between the Scottish and UK governments, as energy prices are regulated by Ofgem and reserved to Westminster.

The Scottish Government, for its part, has been proactive on the issue of fuel poverty. Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin has previously spoken about her desire for the UK Government to help those living in fuel poverty with targeted social energy tariffs. The government also established the Social Tariff Working Group, which submitted its final recommendation in April of this year, calling for a unit rate discount or real-time rebate for eligible households.

Following this, the Energy Social Tariff Bill was introduced as a private member’s bill by Labour MP Polly Billington in July of this year. The Bill would require energy companies to provide social energy tariffs for low-income customers. Currently, it is the best option in addressing this crisis, and if it is to stand a chance of receiving Royal Assent, the UK Government must support it.

In the meantime, it is essential for people to know that help is available. Schemes such as the Scottish Government’s Warmer Homes Scotland can offer support of up to £10,000 to make homes more energy efficient. As a charity, we will be encouraging households to take advantage of the help that is available, as the price cap increases once again.

Unfortunately, very few have the courage to speak as candidly as Roxy has about the impact of fuel poverty and how easy it is for so many in the country to fall into its trap. I hope that readers will share my eagerness to help those like her and lobby their local MP to bring this issue to the forefront of debate at Westminster.

Lynda Mitchell is chief executive of Oban-based energy charity ALIenergy