Energy Action Scotland – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Fuel-poor households in Scotland selected for national mould and damp intervention programme

Families across Scotland have this week commenced a 12-month mould and damp intervention programme before a full UK rollout this spring.

Delivered by Indoor Air Aware, the campaign democratising access to healthy indoor environments, and funded by Energy Action Scotland, the year-long pilot project will assist fuel poor households in preventing and safely remediating areas affected by mould and damp at home.

The project aims to address the critical issue of condensation, damp and mould in homes, specifically targeting fuel poor households with preschool-aged children in Scotland.

This innovative pilot will focus on a selection of households living in social rented, private rented and owned housing, providing them with proactive solutions to prevent mould and damp from affecting their living conditions. The initiative enables Indoor Air Aware to act on its mission to improve indoor air quality and the health and wellbeing of families.

The project pilot will involve home visits to assess the efficiency of the fabric and physics of buildings, ventilation and heating systems, and the provision of tailored guidance on household activities like drying clothes and showering – two of the main causes of moisture resulting in mould growth.

As part of the pilot, each household has been equipped with two smart air monitoring devices, coupled with a user-friendly app.

A team of expert advisors at Indoor Air Aware will remotely monitor each environment and provide guidance where improvements can be made. The energy consumed to heat each property will also be tracked.

To track progress, each participating household will regularly complete surveys to record the physical condition of their home in relation to condensation, dampness and mould and share their experiences after putting new measures and behaviour change in place.

The health of all residents will also be tracked during the pilot to identify how the improved environment impacts each resident’s level of health.

The project will run for 12 months, culminating in a final report that will outline the findings and effectiveness of the initiative and interventions.

Lisa Malyon, Founder of Indoor Air Aware, comments on the pilot launch: “The steep, sustained rise in energy costs has led to underheated homes which has exacerbated the UK’s mould epidemic.

“Living with mould can have a detrimental and often irreversible impact on people’s health – especially children whose lungs are still developing. The chemistry and physics behind why mould grows in our homes is complex, so this pilot is designed to educate households on the causes, and how to prevent mould and damp.

“We are incredibly grateful to Energy Action Scotland for funding this pilot project, which has the potential to be life-changing for those who take part.”

Frazer Scott, CEO of Energy Action Scotland comments on the grant fund: “Cold, occupied homes are a breeding ground for mould, so we really welcome the opportunity to learn more through this work with Lisa and Indoor Air Aware.

“If we equip households with the knowledge of heat, air and ventilation, we can all combat the causes of mould growth and protect ourselves and improve our health. We look forward to sharing the outcome of the pilot.”

Indoor Air Aware is home to ‘Mums Versus Mould’ a fast-growing Facebook community of 1,500 families hoping to prevent mould and damp, or safely clean and remediate their homes after the damage is already done.

Lisa shares her top 10 tips to help avoid mould and damp at home:

Do everything in your power to strike the right balance of heat, ventilation, and insulation. Mould needs moisture to start growing, so we must do what we can to avoid moisture landing on porous surfaces.
Always use the ventilation made available to you. Each day, we each create around 8 glasses of water through washing, cleaning, cooking, sweating, and breathing. Ventilation such as extractor fans and trickle vents on windows should be used to reduce the moisture in the air. Opening a window 5cm will result in less than 5% heat loss. It will feel warmer inside as the window will release moisture from the air.
Cooker hood ventilation is more effective if you cook using the back rings, instead of the front rings. Always make sure to clean cooker hood filters around once a month, or every fortnight if you use it every day.
Each day, do the daily detox. This is sometimes known as ‘back to front’ or ‘shock ventilation’ whereby you open each window of the house very wide, and all internal doors. This allows the outside air – which is generally 3.5 times cleaner than indoor air – to sweep all the moisture, stale gases, chemicals and particles out of the property, leaving behind dryer, cleaner air that is quicker and cheaper to heat.
Establish dry rooms and wet rooms, and don’t mix the two. Never do anything ‘wet’ such as drying clothes, using a steam iron, or having a heated aquarium in dry rooms (living rooms / bedrooms etc). These activities should be done in the bathroom or kitchen, with good ventilation.
Do your maths. Many households are opting to air dry their laundry using a dehumidifier instead of a tumble dryer. My own experiments have proved it’s normally more economical to use a tumble dryer – but make sure it’s well vented and used in a room with an open window.
Do not attempt to clean large areas of mould. Any space larger than the size of a tea-towel should be professionally cleaned and remediated if necessary.
Never use bleach-based products, and don’t try to mask the problem with stain blockers. Bleach feeds mould growth, and can break down silicons, leaving gaps around the bath to create much large water damage issues.
Do not get duped by ‘mould sprays’ as these contain sodium hypochlorite which is bleach.
Pure white vinegar on a microfibre cloth is the best way to remove mould, followed by another wipe down with water and a few drops of liquid soap or washing up liquid in a bowl of water. Wring the cloth out well as excess water will exacerbate the issue. Leave to air dry / use a heater / dehumidifier. Always wear protective gloves, clothing, and a face mask to reduce the impact of spreading the issue and health side effects.

Boyack: Redeem unclaimed energy vouchers before it’s too late

Following concerns raised by the advocacy group Energy Action Scotland over the number of households with pre-payment meters who have not claimed their voucher entitlement from the UK Energy Bill Support Scheme that ended in March 2023, Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack is urging people in Edinburgh to redeem their vouchers before they expire on 30^th June 2023.

In Edinburgh, 34 per cent of vouchers have yet to be claimed, with the approximate value of the unclaimed support in Edinburgh being at around £1,374,120.

Households with non-smart (traditional) prepayment meter need to actively redeem the vouchers that have been sent by post, text or email.

Once the voucher from the energy supplier is received, people will need to take it to a Post Office or PayPoint shop to add it to the gas or electricity top-up key or card.

Commenting Sarah Boyack MSP said: “If you live in a household with older, non-digital pre-payment meters, you have been issued with vouchers by post, text or email to support you with the rising energy costs.

“These vouchers are valid for 90 days and expired or lost vouchers can be re-issued through the energy supplier.

“However, all vouchers expire on 30th June when the scheme ends.

“If you are entitled to energy vouchers, now is time to redeem them. They may not resolve the cost of living crisis, but during these hard time, we need all support we can get.”

First Minister to convene summit with energy suppliers and campaign groups

The First Minister will convene an urgent summit with energy supply companies and consumer groups later this month, to discuss how advice and support for people struggling with energy bills can be improved.

The summit will consider what collective action can be taken by government, energy companies and the third sector to help businesses and consumers access advice, and get support with debt issues.

Scotland’s major energy suppliers including Scottish Power, OVO Energy, Centrica, Octopus and E.ON, as well as industry bodies and key consumer and poverty organisations will attend.

The summit follows last week’s meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee on the cost living crisis and will take place ahead of OfGem’s next energy price cap announcement on 26 August.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I know that this is an incredibly unsettling time for households and energy consumers across Scotland and the Scottish Government will continue to do everything we can to support those affected.

“There is a not a single solution to this problem and government, industry and the third sector in Scotland needs to work collaboratively together to ensure the right support is in place for householders and businesses during this challenging winter. This could include improving the availability of help and advice and considering a more compassionate approach to debt management.

“However, it remains the case that the powers and resources needed to tackle this emergency on the scale required – access to borrowing, welfare, VAT on fuel, taxation of windfall profits, regulation of the energy market – lie with the UK Government.

“Only the UK Government can access and make available resources on the scale required. They need to take action, now. As I said last week, a first step would be to cancel the energy price cap rise this autumn.”

Peter Kelly, Director, The Poverty Alliance said: “We are pleased that the First Minister will be convening this summit of energy companies, along with the Poverty Alliance and Energy Action Scotland.

“Across the country, people are increasingly being swept up amid a rising tide of hardship. But with the energy price cap due to increase in October, that tide threatens to become a flood.

“Households up and down Scotland are terrified of what the colder months will bring and the likelihood is that – without further action – lives and life chances will be at risk. The situation could scarcely be more urgent.

“But it is a situation we can do something about, by taking action to protect people most at risk of poverty and deeper hardship. It is that much-needed and urgent action that we are hoping the summit can bring about.”

Frazer Scott, CEO of Energy Action Scotland said: “With our colleagues at the Poverty Alliance, we welcome the First Minister’s intervention in gathering energy companies together to talk about how we can best support households struggling to afford spiralling energy bills.

“Fuel poverty will affect over one million Scottish households this winter requiring urgent intervention focussed on targeting those most in need.

“Cold, damp homes affect health and wellbeing and will put thousands of lives at risk as well as adding additional pressure to the NHS, making this a vital intervention for Scotland.”

The Scottish Government estimates that 906,000 or 36% of all households will be in fuel poverty in October 2022, based on an Ofgem price cap of £2,800 and taking into account previously announced government mitigations.

More face fuel poverty despite Holyrood help

Basic energy efficiency measures have prevented up to 35,000 Scottish households from falling into fuel poverty over the past year, according to the Scottish government.

Statistics released today show that the installation of measures such as loft and cavity insulation, double glazing and new boilers have helped to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and cut household energy requirements.

In spite of efforts by the Scottish Government to help reduce household energy bills, tens of thousands of families were pushed into fuel poverty in 2011 as a direct result of energy company price rises. Between July and October 2011, more than 102,000 households fell into this category after energy prices increased by 14%.

Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: “Basic energy efficiency measures can make a huge difference to Scottish families who are struggling to make ends meet, allowing them to heat their homes more cost effectively.

“This government has allocated over £68 million in 2012-13 to energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes to help individuals and families who are in most need of support. We also have in place a cashback voucher scheme offering up to £500 per household for energy efficiency measures such as double glazing and loft and cavity wall insulation, and from today, energy efficient boilers and appliances for private sector landlords.

“Rising energy bills are a huge concern for this government, and fuel poverty is an absolute scandal in an energy rich country like Scotland. The more that energy companies continue to implement punishing price increases, the more they are undoing the good work we are doing to tackle fuel poverty. That is why we are urging the UK government – who has responsibility in this area – to do more to help vulnerable people and ensure that our households are better protected.”

However the Scottish Greens believe the government should be doing a lot more to address the problem, and they are calling on ministers to stop hand-wringing on the worsening issue of fuel poverty. The Scottish Greens say the National Retrofit Programme to insulate homes – first proposed by the party in 2009 – needs to be increased from the current £65million a year to at least £100 million to make a real difference.

Green MSP for Lothian and Holyrood energy committee member Alison Johnstone said:
“Scottish Greens have long argued for extra money focused on rapid upgrading of peoples’ homes. For SNP ministers to suggest this issue is worsening despite their efforts hides the fact that they could do much more.

“With thousands more homes in fuel poverty, the Scottish Government must be more ambitious. Wringing hands about Westminster’s failure to tackle the Big Six energy companies isn’t good enough.”

The Scottish Government’s latest figures show that recent energy price rises have pushed an extra 26,000 households in Scotland into fuel poverty. Around 29 per cent of Scottish households now spend over 10 per cent of their income on energy bills, and 185,000 of those households spend over 20 per cent.

Commenting on the figures, Norman Kerr, Director of national fuel poverty charity Energy Action Scotland said: “The fact that more Scottish households are now in fuel poverty is very disappointing but not surprising, as energy prices have gone up and people’s budgets generally are under pressure. Efforts to make homes energy efficient, so that less energy is needed to heat them, are more vital than ever and will clearly have to be increased.

“Our advice to the public is to check out if they are on the best fuel tariff and payment method for their needs, to shop around energy suppliers, and to take up the free or discounted insulation from Scottish Government programmes such as Home Energy Scotland. There is a tendency to think it won’t make a difference, but it does all help at these difficult times.”

Energy Action Scotland is highlighting that the figures released today are for the period to autumn 2011. Using those figures and adding the effects of energy price rises announced in autumn this year, the numbers living in fuel poverty today are more likely to be around 900,000 household (40%). Today’s report states that those on the lowest incomes are hit hardest by the price rises.