Fuel Poverty

A household is defined as being in fuel poverty if in order to maintain an acceptably warm home it would need to spend more than 10% of its income on household fuel use.

Extreme fuel poverty is the same, but with a household spending more than 20% of income.

Our Home Energy Advice team can help households in fuel poverty in a number of ways including:

• ensuring households maximise income
• giving advice on applying for a fuel bank foundation voucher if you use a prepayment meter for gas or electricity
• clearing or reducing fuel debt
• reducing energy debt repayments (for debt that remains)
• helping vulnerable households apply for the Warm Home Discount
• giving advice on improving the energy efficiency of homes
• analysing household energy usages
• providing tailored energy saving tips so households avoid wasteful energy use
• assisting households to switch to cheaper energy deals

More on fuel poverty

Energy Action Scotland (EAS) campaigns for an end to fuel poverty in Scotland. See their website for more information.