Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council are hosting this free Home Energy Scotland event at Edinburgh Academy this evening.
Find out how you can make your home more energy efficient and save money on your fuel bills.
The event starts at 7pm.
Households are being encouraged to take a meter reading today (31st March) before an energy price hike comes into effect on 1st April.
It is advised to supply a meter reading to ensure that you get the current, cheaper rates for all the energy you have used prior to this date. You may be charged for energy used prior to the increase at the new higher unit prices if you do not supply a reading.
Ofgem is increasing its price cap from the 1st of April. For those on a default tariff who pay by direct debit, the price cap is going up by almost £700.
However, if you take a meter reading on 31st of March and provide this to your energy supplier, you should be charged correctly (at the lower rate) for energy already used.
How Do I Submit a Meter Reading?
There are various ways you can submit a reading:
· Online or via the energy supplier’s app
· Through online chat with the supplier
· Sending a text
· Contacting the supplier via telephone (this is sometimes an automated line).
More information on how to provide a meter reading to your supplier can be found on their website, or on statements or bills you have received from them.
Smart Meters
Smart meters send automatic readings to your energy supplier. Depending on how a smart meter is set up, it may not automatically send a reading on the 31st of March. This is because in many cases the system will be set up to send a reading on a set date once a month.
You may be able to change the settings – some meters can take readings every half hour – or, failing that, log into your account and submit your reading that way.
For example, British Gas have insisted that its smart meters take readings at set times determined by the customer, but there is nothing to stop them logging in and submitting an additional one on the 31st of March.
If, for whatever reason, you have a problem trying to submit your readings, you can take photos on the day that clearly show the reading, and the meter serial numbers.
energyadvice.scot
As the cost of living crisis bites, it’s important to ensure you’re not paying more than you should be for your energy. One of the easiest ways to do this is through taking and submitting meter readings.
While smart meters are taking the chore out of remembering to read your meter, not every household has them installed. It’s therefore important to know how to take your meter readings and to let your supplier know what they are.
Energy bills are confusing if you don’t understand what the numbers mean. Luckily, Energy Saving Trust have this great blog that breaks down your energy bills.
If you don’t give your energy supplier meter readings, they guess how much you’ve used based on the information about what that property has used in the past. This is known as an estimated reading. Your bill may show ‘estimated’ or ‘E’ on the bill you receive. .
Estimated readings can be over or under what you’re actually using and could lead to problems with your energy bills later down the line. If your energy supplier has underestimated how much energy you’re using, you could end up owing money that you haven’t budgeted for. On the other hand, if your energy supplier has overestimated how much energy you’re using, you could end up paying higher bills than you need to.
To avoid this, take accurate meter readings and provide them to your energy supplier, who should then send you an accurate bill. Look at the reading number on your meter and write it down. Many energy companies allow you to submit these readings online or provide an automated phone service to let you do this.
If you’re not sure how to read your meter, Citizens Advice have a handy guide that tells you how.
If you’re struggling to keep warm at home and keep up with your energy costs, we’re here to help you. As well as tips on how to save energy and advice on making your home warmer, we can check if you’re eligible for special discounts from energy suppliers and other funding. We can also help you get a benefits and tax credit check so you’re not missing out on additional income.
Give us a call on 0808 808 2282 or use our contact form to get in touch via email.
£33,000 funding secured from the Scottish Government to help with fuel poverty debts
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), in partnership with Changeworks, has secured £33,000 in funding from the Scottish Government and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to support tenants with existing fuel poverty related debts.
The fund ensures we can support up to 50 households with this issue until the end of March 2022.
Currently, 21% of Edinburgh households live in fuel poverty, rising to 44% for social housing tenants. In Leith, 24% households live in material deprivation which has been further exacerbated by the pandemic.
Affordable Warmth Services Team Manager at Changeworks, Lisa Bygate, commented: “Through our work on the Link-Up Leith project we have seen increasing demand for support as people find themselves struggling with high bills and fuel debt.
“We are now seeing the highest incidences of households at risk of disconnection since the project started. This much welcomed funding will support people living on low incomes to have improved life skills and confidence to tackle fuel poverty issues themselves.
“We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Port of Leith Housing Association to provide support to their tenants and Leith residents with energy debt. We will be working closely with their welfare rights staff and other members of the Link-Up Leith project to identify and provide assistance to those who need it.”
PoLHA Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “I’m thankful that we have secured this funding to help our community during this time of rapidly escalating fuel costs.
“We are committed to ensuring our tenants’ welfare and I’m proud that the PoLHA Group has been able to react so quickly to our tenants’ needs and provide vital support.”
Eligible tenants will be identified for this grant through PoLHA’s Tenant Advice Service and Changeworks existing Link-Up Leith project run in partnership with Edinburgh Community Food and Stepping Stones.
Changeworks will also identify people eligible for support through referrals to their Affordable Warmth Service.
How to apply
Tenants can apply for the fund by speaking to their Housing Officer or our Tenant Advice team who can make a referral to Changeworks.
Other services
PoLHA offers the following support services to social housing tenants: welfare benefits advice, money advice and tenancy sustainment advice.
Visit advice and support for help.
The energy price cap will increase from 1 April for approximately 22 million customers. Those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 per year (difference due to rounding). Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017.
The increase is driven by a record rise in global gas prices over the last 6 months, with wholesale prices quadrupling in the last year.
It will affect default tariff customers who haven’t switched to a fixed deal and those who remain with their new supplier after their previous supplier exited the market.
The price cap is updated twice a year and tracks wholesale energy and other costs.
It stops energy companies from making excessive profits, ensuring customers pay no more than a fair price for their energy.
The price cap allows energy companies to pass on all reasonable costs to customers, including increases in the cost of buying gas.
Since the price cap was last updated in August, the current level does not reflect the unprecedented record rise in gas prices which has since taken place.
Under the price cap mechanism, energy companies will be allowed to pass on these higher costs from April when the new level takes effect.
This is because energy companies cannot afford to supply electricity and gas to their customers for less than they have paid for it.
Over the last year, 29 energy companies have exited the market or been put in special administration in the wake of soaring global gas prices, affecting around 4.3 million domestic customers.
Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said: “We know this rise will be extremely worrying for many people, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet, and Ofgem will ensure energy companies support their customers in any way they can.
“The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices, a once in a 30-year event, and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that, under the price cap, energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas.
“Ofgem is working to stabilise the market and over the longer term to diversify our sources of energy which will help protect customers from similar price shocks in the future.”
Ofgem will tomorrow announce further measures to help the energy market weather future volatility by increasing financial resilience and have the flexibility to respond so that risks are not inappropriately passed on to consumers.
This follows measures announced in December.
The further measures include enabling Ofgem to update the price cap more frequently than once every 6 months in exceptional circumstances to ensure that it still reflects the true cost of supplying energy.
Help available for customers:
2. Ofgem will announce further measures tomorrow including:
Breakdown of costs in the energy price cap
Dual fuel customer paying by direct debit, typical energy use (GB £)
*Network costs: The main driver of this increase is the recovery of Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) levy costs (£68). A supplier acting as a SoLR can make a claim for any reasonable additional, otherwise unrecoverable, costs they incur. These levy claims are paid to energy companies by the distribution network companies and recovered from consumers via their charges.
5. The charts below show the wholesale prices that are used to determine the wholesale cost allowance within the price cap from spring 2018 ahead of the introduction of the price cap in January 2019.
Wholesale costs make up the majority of a customer’s bill. An efficient supplier will purchase energy for their customers on the wholesale market in advance of when they need to supply that energy.
This purchasing strategy is reflected in how the wholesale allowance is calculated within the price cap. We observe the forward-looking energy contracts that energy companies typically purchase over time and combine these to determine the wholesale cost allowance within the price cap.
We do this twice a year when we update the price cap in August for the winter period (October – March) and in February for the summer period (April – September) based on the price of these forward-looking energy contracts over the previous six months.
The fixed horizontal line shows the average wholesale cost allowance for each 6 month price cap period based on the price of the relevant forward looking energy contracts (the jagged line).
The recent spike in the prices of relevant forward looking energy contracts over the last 6 months can be clearly seen. The scale and pace of wholesale price increases has resulted in a big increase in the wholesale cost allowance for the price cap level for summer 2022.
Wholesale gas price costs in the energy price cap
Pence per therm
Wholesale electricity price costs in the energy price cap
Pounds per megawatt hour
Data sets behind these graphs are proprietary and can be sourced from ICIS.
Statement, as delivered by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, on 3 February 2022:
Mr Speaker,
The UK’s economic recovery has been quicker and stronger than forecast.
In the depths of the pandemic, our economy was expected to return to its pre-crisis level at the end of 2022.
Instead, it got there in November 2021 – a full year earlier.
Unemployment was expected to peak at nearly 12%.
Instead, it peaked at 5.2% and has now fallen to just over 4% – saving more than 2 million jobs.
And with the fastest growing economy in the G7 this year…
Over 400,000 more people on payrolls than before the pandemic…
And business investment rising…it’s no wonder Mr Speaker, that borrowing is set to fall from £320bn last year …
… the highest ever peacetime level …
… to £46bn by the end of this Parliament.
As we emerge from the depths of the worst recession in 300 years, we should be proud of our economic record.
The economy is stronger because of the plan we put in place; because of the actions we took to protect families and businesses.
And that plan is working.
But for all the progress we are making – the job is not yet done.
Right now, I know the number one issue on people’s minds is the rising cost of living.
It is the independent Bank of England’s role to deliver low and stable inflation – and the Governor will set out their latest judgements at midday today.
And just as the government stood behind the British people through the pandemic…
… so we will help people deal with one of the biggest costs they now face – energy.
The energy regulator, OFGEM, announced this morning that the energy price cap will rise in April to £1,971 – an increase of £693 for the average household. Without government action, this would be incredibly tough for millions of hardworking families. So the government is going to step in to directly help people manage those extra costs.
Mr Speaker,
Before I set out the steps we are taking, let me explain what’s happening to energy prices, and why.
People’s energy bills are rising because it is more expensive for the companies who supply our energy to buy oil, coal, and gas.
Of the £693 increase in the April price cap, around 80% comes from wholesale energy prices.
Over the last year, the price of gas alone has quadrupled.
And because over 85% of homes in Britain are heated with a gas boiler, and around 40% of our electricity comes from gas, this is hitting households hard.
The reasons gas prices are soaring are global.
Across Europe and Asia, a long, cold winter last year depleted gas stores.
Disruption to other energy sources like nuclear and wind left us relying more than usual on gas during the summer months.
Surging demand in the world’s manufacturing centres in Asia…
… at the same time as countries like China are moving away from coal…
… is further increasing demand for gas.
And concerns about a possible Russian incursion into Ukraine are putting further pressure on wholesale gas markets.
And so prices are rising.
Mr Speaker,
The price cap has meant that the impact of soaring gas prices has so far fallen mainly on energy companies.
So much so, that some suppliers who couldn’t afford to meet those extra costs have gone out of business as a result.
It is not sustainable to keep holding the price of energy artificially low.
For me to stand here and pretend we don’t have to adjust to paying higher prices would be wrong and dishonest. But what we can do is take the sting out of a significant price shock for millions of families … by making sure the increase in prices is smaller initially and spread over a longer period.
Mr Speaker,
Without government intervention, the increase in the price cap would leave the average household having to find an extra £693.
The actions I’m announcing today will provide, to the vast majority of households, just over half that amount – £350.
In total, the government is going to help around 28 million households this year.
Taken together, this is a plan to help with the cost of living worth around £9bn.
We’re delivering that support in three different ways.
First, we will spread the worst of the extra costs of this year’s energy price shock over time.
This year, all domestic electricity customers will receive an upfront discount on their bills worth £200.
Energy suppliers will apply the discount on people’s bills from October.
With the government meeting the cost in full.
That discount will be automatically repaid from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over the next five years.
This is the right way to support people while staying on track with our plans to repair the public finances.
And because we are taking a fiscally responsible approach, we can also provide more help, faster, to those who need it most – the second part of our plan.
We’re going to give people a £150 Council Tax rebate to help with the cost of energy, in April – and this discount won’t need to be repaid.
And I do want to be clear with the House that we are deliberately not just giving support to people on benefits.
Lots of people on middle incomes are struggling right now, too – so I’ve decided to provide the council tax rebate to households in Bands A to D.
This means around 80% of all homes in England will benefit.
And the third part of our plan will provide local authorities with a discretionary fund of nearly £150m…
… to help those lower income households who happen to live in higher Council Tax properties…
… and households in bands A-D who are exempt from Council Tax.
We’re also confirming today that we’ll go ahead with existing plans to expand eligibility for the Warm Home Discount by almost a third…
… so that 3m vulnerable households will now benefit from that scheme.
And that’s not all we’re doing to help vulnerable households.
We’re providing £3bn over this Parliament to help more than half a million lower income homes become more energy efficient, saving them on average £290 per year.
Increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour in April, a pay rise of over £1,000 for 2 million low paid workers.
And providing an effective tax cut for those on Universal Credit, allowing almost 2 million households to keep an average of £1,000 per year.
The payment through energy suppliers will apply across England, Wales and Scotland.
Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland, with a different regulator, and the government does not have the legal powers to intervene.
So we will make sure the Executive is funded to do something similar, with around £150m for Northern Ireland through the Barnett formula next year.
And because the Council Tax system is England only, total Barnett consequentials of around £565m will be provided to the devolved administrations in the usual way.
Mr Speaker,
I know that some in this House have argued for a VAT cut on energy.
However, that policy would disproportionately benefit wealthier households.
There would also be no guarantee that suppliers would pass on the discounts to all customers.
And we should be honest with ourselves: this would become a permanent Government subsidy on everyone’s bills.
A permanent subsidy worth £2.5 billion every year – at a time when we are trying to rebuild the public finances.
Instead, our plan allows us to provide more generous support, faster, to those who need it most, providing 28m households with at least £200, and the vast majority receiving £350.
It is fair, it is targeted, it is proportionate – it is the right way to help people with the spike in energy costs.
Mr Speaker,
Today’s announcements are just one part of the government’s plan to tackle this country’s most pressing economic challenges.
A plan for growth – with record investments in infrastructure, innovation and skills.
A plan to restore the public finances – with debt falling by the end of this Parliament.
A plan to cut waiting lists and back the NHS with £29bn over three years and a permanent new source of funding.
And, with the measures I’ve announced today – a plan to help with the rising cost of energy with £350 more in the pockets of tens of millions of hard working families.
That’s our plan to build a stronger economy – not just today but for the long term.
And I commend it to this House.
Commenting on the energy cap rise, interest rate rise and the Chancellor’s measures to address the cost of living crisis, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The Chancellor’s announcement is hopelessly inadequate. For most families it’s just £7 a week and more than half must be paid back.
“It’s too little, it’s poorly targeted, and it’s stop gap measures instead of fixing the big problems.
“Britain needs a pay rise. The best way to help families is to get wages growing again. But this government has no plan to end pay misery.
“Ministers should be getting urgent help to families that need it most through raising universal credit. And we need a windfall tax on the excessive profits from North Sea gas to cut bills and boost investment in affordable energy.”
Responding to today’s announcements on energy costs and the cost of living, Katie Schmuecker, Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships for the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: “The Chancellor has offered cold comfort to families in poverty, who are already rationing what they can spend on essentials such as heating and food.
“These families are now expected to find at least half of the eye watering increases in energy bills, when many are already getting into debt to keep their houses warm and food on the table.
“Three quarters of those who can claim the enhanced support are not in poverty. Meanwhile inflation is set to rise at more than double the rate of benefits. This support will not get people through the next few months and it will not protect those most at risk of hardship.
“People in poverty are hit hardest by all these pressures because our social security system is simply not offering adequate support, and until that changes they will continue to be exposed to every economic shock.
“The Chancellor has made his choice, the harder choices will now be coming for those who still can’t afford essentials for themselves and their families.”
University of Birmingham’s Harriet Thomson on the rise of energy price caps: “This news comes at a time when families across Great Britain have already been facing years of rapidly increasing energy prices, as well as chaotic energy market conditions with the collapse of around 20 energy supplies since January 2021 alone.
“Just last month, ONS data found that 2 in 3 adults said their costs of living had gone up in the past month, with 79% of those attributing blame to gas and electricity prices.
“We know from the extensive body of existing evidence on this topic that lower income households will be disproportionately hit by the price cap increase, risking pushing millions more into a situation fuel poverty.
“This will have serious consequences for physical and mental health, social isolation, and educational attainment, with households forced to make difficult everyday decisions over whether to ‘heat or eat’.
“Moreover, these price increases are likely to push more people into using risky and/or polluting alternative energy sources, such as DIY candle heaters that have been linked to house fires, burning scrap wood and other flammable materials, and digging up peat. As well as the obvious risks to human life, these approaches will also exacerbate climate change.
“It’s clear that energy companies are reeling from the potent combination of cash flow reductions due to pandemic-related economic pressures on families who are building up more energy debt, and the global gas crisis.
“But the answer is not to burden households with yet more costs. The energy market is broken and needs radical reform – now is the time for the UK government to show ambition and commitment to the nation by investing in deep retrofits of our old and leaky housing stock, and to rollout decentralised renewable energy systems at scale.”
The number of households suffering from ‘fuel stress’ – spending at least 10 per cent of their family budgets on energy bills – is set to treble overnight to 6.3 million households when the new energy price cap comes into effect on April 1, according to new research published today by the Resolution Foundation.
The research shows that the proportion of English households in ‘fuel stress’ – a general indicator of finding energy bills unaffordable and also the definition of fuel poverty in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – is currently 9 per cent.
It is expected to leap to 27 per cent as a result of the energy price cap rising by more than 50 per cent this April to around £2,000 per year. Ofgem will announce the new price cap level on February 7.
Levels of fuel stress are set to be highest in the North East and the West Midlands (33 and 32 per cent), among pensioner households (38 per cent), among those in local authority housing (35 per cent) and among those in poorly insulated homes (69 per cent of families in homes with an EPC F-rating).
The sheer scale of energy bill increases mean that fuel stress will no longer be confined to the poorest households, says the Foundation, but low- and middle-income families will find it hardest to cope as they spend a far greater share of their family budgets on these essentials.
The report notes that the Government is rightly considering ways to mitigate rising energy bills, and should target support at lower income households.
The Foundation says that the most effective way to support lower-income families is through the benefits system, with a faster-than-currently-planned uprating of benefits in April (benefits are set to rise by 3.1 per cent).
Alternatively, an additional payment based on the Warm Homes Discount (WHD) could be pursued. However, the policy will require major surgery in order to make it for purpose. The reforms should include making the WHD:
A new vastly improved WHD would cut the number of households living in fuel stress by around five percentage points – equivalent to over one million families.
The report adds that the Government may also want to take action to cut everyone else’s energy bills too.
This could be achieved by spreading the costs of energy firm failure over a number of years (reducing bills by up to £65) and temporarily transferring the social and environmental levies needed to future-proof Britain’s energy supply from bills to general taxation.
This would cut everyone’s energy bills by around £245 and would cut the number of families in ‘fuel stress’ by over seven percentage points – or 1.7 million families – but at a cost of £4.8 billion.
In combination, this dual approach of providing support to all energy bill payers, alongside targeted support for those most at risk of falling into ‘fuel stress’ would reduce energy bills by up to £545 a year – at a cost of around £7.3 billion – and help to avert a cost of living catastrophe this year. The rise in fuel stress would be reduced by two thirds, with 2.7 million fewer families in fuel stress.
Finally, while short term measures are clearly needed, the medium- and long-term solution to energy price shocks is reform of our energy market, better insulating our homes, and reducing our dependence on natural gas via an accelerated move to heat pumps, and the rollout of renewable and nuclear electricity.
Jonny Marshall, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Rising gas prices are causing energy bills to soar, and will see the number of families suffering from ‘fuel stress’ to treble to more than six million households this summer.
“Fuel stress levels are particularly high among pensioner households, and those in poorly insulated homes – a stark reminder of the need to modernise Britain’s leaky housing stock and curb national dependency on gas for power and heating.
“The Government can take action by targeting support at lower income households via benefits or a bigger and broader version of the Warm Homes Discount. They should also temporarily transfer the cost of environmental levies onto general taxation, as well as spreading the cost of supplier failure over three years.
“While not cheap at £7.3 billion, this plan is affordable, and by cutting bills by up to £545 would help prevent the upcoming rise in energy bills turning into a cost of living catastrophe for millions of families.”
Proposals for a ground-breaking ‘net zero’ housing development, as part of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project in north west Edinburgh, were granted approval by city planners yesterday.
The Granton D1 project is the first Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) pilot which will see the construction of 75 net zero carbon homes and three retail units in Granton. The project is led by the City of Edinburgh Council with support from construction and academic partners and is part of the Council ambitions to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2027.
The project is being undertaken in partnership with CCG (Scotland) Ltd to test this new business model for building affordable, net zero homes. A large proportion of the construction will be carried out off site in a factory setting reducing the overall time it takes to build the homes. The homes will also include zero emissions heating. This will help to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and support the city’s 2030 net zero target.
The pilot is also supported by a team from Napier University that will analyse the energy performance to validate and inform the net zero carbon strategy for future EHD projects. The EHD project aims to deliver 1,000 affordable net zero carbon homes across the six council areas in the City Region Deal.
With an ambitious target to become a ‘net zero’ city by 2030, both of these developments, alongside the 444-home Western Villages development, will act as a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland to transition towards a greener economy.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: “Making homes more sustainable will help us to meet our net zero targets, but the most important thing is that our tenants will benefit. With the cost of living rising sharply, making the running costs of homes more affordable will help tenants on low incomes, preventing fuel poverty.
“This pilot, and the learning we hope to take from it, is a really important step for us on our journey to making all of our housing stock more energy efficient, and better for tenants to live in. We have incredibly ambitious plans which form the bedrock of our housing strategy over the next ten years.
“There is a critical need for more affordable homes in Edinburgh and we are responding to that through our commitment to deliver 20,000 social and affordable homes by 2027.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: “The Granton D1 development will provide affordable places to live for everyone with over 60% being for social rent.
“The development is part of the wider Granton Waterfront regeneration – which includes the creation of one of Europe’ s largest new coastal city parks.
“We hope to provide residents and visitors with the chance to reconnect with the city’s waterfront and taken advantage of the new leisure and outdoor experiences that will be on offer – altogether fostering an environment that will benefit everyone’s health, community spirit and wellbeing.”
Councillor Neil Gardiner, Convener for the Planning Committee, said: “This sustainable development is a great addition to our major regeneration of Granton Waterfront to create a coastal town with lots of green and open space.
“It was good to see the committee unanimously backing the project which will provide the area with much needed affordable net zero homes as well retail units providing businesses opportunities and employment locally.”
Calum Murray, CCG (Scotland) Director and Edinburgh Climate Commissioner, said: “The approval of Granton D1 is another important milestone for the City of Edinburgh Council and CCG.
“By working collaboratively alongside our partners, we are pioneering the delivery of affordable, net zero homes in Scotland and the Council is to be congratulated for taking these necessary first steps in delivery of our country’s net zero carbon ambitions.
“CCG is delighted to be leading the design and build of Granton D1 where we will provide a cutting-edge demonstration in the use of fabric first design and construction technology. We look forward to advancing works on-site in the very near future.”
Construction of Granton D1 is expected to begin in Spring 2022.
The wider Granton Waterfront regeneration project which also includes the refurbishment of the Granton Station building and the Granton Gasholder restoration project which is currently lighting up the skyline in a joint project with Edinburgh College.
The wider proposals will bring over 3000 additional homes and create one of Europe’ s largest coastal city parks linking Granton Harbour to Cramond and Lauriston Castle, reconnecting the city with its waterfront and provide the opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy spectacular views across the Forth while experiencing enhanced leisure
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT BRITS WOULD FOREGO A WHITE CHRISTMAS AS ENERGY BILLS RISE
Ever since Bing Crosby hit the airwaves in 1942 with Irving Berlin’s nostalgic song, ‘White Christmas’, snow-laden vistas and frosted windows have defined the perfect festive setting for many of us.
Yet whilst almost seven in 10 Britons (68 percent) continue to hold out hope for a snowy Christmas, new research has revealed that 62% would actually prefer a warm Yuletide if it meant they could save on their dreaded winter heating bills this year.
The research by home heating expert Alpha Heating Innovation comes as the collapse of further energy firms is predicted for the coming weeks, following the 22 suppliers which have already folded since September 2021.
With the energy price cap now expected to rise by over 40% next April, the UK is bracing itself for an increase in household bills and looking for ways to conserve home running costs.
As a result, almost three quarters (74 percent) would consider using the heating less during the festive season in order to save money.
Darran Smith, Technical Manager for home heating expert, Alpha Heating Innovation, commented: “With gas prices set to radically increase in 2022 and fuel poverty likely to extend far beyond the four million households already struggling to pay their energy bills, it is little wonder that most of us would happily forego a white Christmas.
“We are urging households to consider ways of keeping their heating bills manageable over the festive period and look to establish some good home heating habits now before the price hikes arrive.”
When it comes to the nation’s Christmas finances, a warm home features in the top three items which UK households prioritise (38 percent), along with presents for friends and family (53 percent) and festive food (52 percent).
The top 10 things Brits prioritise financially over the Christmas period:
1. Lovely presents for friends and family (53%)
2. Festive food (52%)
3. A warm home (38%)
4. Trees and decorations (29%)
5. Christmas lights (26%)
6. Alcohol (24%)
7. Posting gifts/cards (17%)
8. Days out (14%)
9. Nights out (13%)
10. Hosting Christmas parties (12%)
But there’s good news. Whilst gift budgets can be set and purse strings for food tightened, there are simple and efficient ways to save on heating bills without compromising on comfort.
Darran continues: “One of the best ways to heat your home economically is to learn how to control the settings of your heating system so it delivers the optimum temperature for your lifestyle and comfort level, while ensuring you only use the energy you need.
“Don’t waste energy on heating the whole house all night. If you have thermostatic radiator valves, turn them down or off in rooms that aren’t regularly used. Think about what room temperature you normally set and reduce it by just 1ºC – you won’t notice any difference but you can cut heating bills by up to £105 a year in a typical home.
“And finally, put on an extra layer such as that festive must-have: the Christmas jumper. Very simple; but it never fails to make a surprisingly big difference.”
For more practical tips on how to save on heating bills, visit:
Alpha Heating Innovation’s handy online guide.
For further information about Alpha Heating Innovation, visit:
Citizens Advice Scotland has launched our Big Energy Saving Winter campaign, which encourages people to get advice amid soaring energy prices (writes CAS Chief Executive DEREK MITCHELL).
It comes after months of turmoil in the energy market, with Bulb being the biggest supplier so far to go out of business. The spike in global gas prices saw suppliers sell energy at unsustainable losses and that has led to a shrinking of the market, meaning not only less consumer choice but also bigger bills.
In October the energy price cap, put in place to protect consumers, rose by a record amount, just as people faced a perfect storm of rising inflation and falling incomes due to things like the reduction of Universal Credit by £20 per week.
As we reveal, this all adds up to more than 1 in 3 of us finding bills unaffordable.
In polling for CAS by YouGov, people blamed rising energy prices and the cost of living, but also hard to heat homes and low incomes. Given there’s likely to be another rise in the Spring which on average will add around another £500 to bills, this situation will only get worse.
When we speak about energy bills in the winter, and Scotland’s unacceptable levels of fuel poverty, you’ll often see the cliché around “heating or eating”. But what feels like a cliché in the pages of a newspaper is the reality for too many people. 1 in 4 households were in fuel poverty before the pandemic, and as the snow begins to fall in parts of Scotland they face an incredibly rough winter.
In previous years this campaign would have encouraged people to “switch and save”. But due to the crisis in the market, the official advice is not to switch as many people will end up on a higher tariff.
Our campaign is about offering people solutions. Because that’s the good news: there is real help available. We want to ensure that people know they don’t have to feel powerless in the face of soaring bills.
There are various ways we can help them save energy, that’ll have the benefit of saving the planet as well – something to consider with COP 26 fresh in our minds.
CABs can also unlock money for people through things like social security, employment entitlements and debt reductions. In fact during the pandemic our network unlocked around £147m for people in Scotland.
So our campaign is all about making people aware of this help so they can access it.
You’ll possibly see your local CAB out in your community in the next few weeks, pushing the same message. Hopefully we’ll manage to provide some relief to at least some of the people who are suffering the cold.
So please help spread the message of our campaign. Tell your friends and family about it, re-tweet us (@citadvicescot), and if you’re in a position to amplify it in any other way, please do.
In the longer term, we need policies ensure consumers are protected and bills don’t eat up as much of people’s household income.
Until then the CAB network is here to help, as we have for over 80 years.
An additional £18 million will be available this year to help householders install energy efficient measures and reduce their heating bills, bringing the total support available through Home Energy Scotland to £50 million in 2021-2022.
People in Edinburgh and across the country are being urged to seek support and advice from Home Energy Scotland to help make their homes warmer and reduce their heating bills, on average by up to £300 per year.
Financial support worth up to £5,000 is also available to make homes more energy efficient through improvements like home insulation or a new heating system.
Home Energy Scotland also supports households with practical advice and, where appropriate, install energy efficient measures – making homes more energy efficient and saving householders money.
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie, said: “As the colder weather returns and given the concern around rising energy bills, we want to ensure people living in Edinburgh and around Scotland are aware of the support available to keep their homes warm this winter.
“Home Energy Scotland offers advice, support and funding to help people make energy saving improvements, helping them reduce their energy costs.
“The free impartial advice and support is available for anyone concerned about paying their energy bills and we would urge people struggling with their fuel bills to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland.”
Recent research by Home Energy Scotland shows that 70% of people in Scotland feel concerned about energy bills rising, with almost two thirds using more energy than usual during the first 12 months of the pandemic. The research also found that 59% of Scots have noticed a worrying rise in their energy bills already.
Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland said: “24,000 households across the country including Edinburgh have already benefited from new energy efficient measures, like a new heating system or insulation, by getting in contact with Home Energy Scotland.
“But with people spending more time at home over the past 18 months due to coronavirus, energy usage has been greater than ever. We therefore want to be able to help even more people to make energy saving improvements to their home.
“A home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50% of its heat through its roof and walls so making improvements can help your finances and make your home more energy efficient, comfortable and cheaper to heat while helping lower emissions in Scotland”.
Funding to help people struggling financially during the winter is part of a new £41 million support package. The Winter Support Fund will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness against a backdrop of rising living and fuel costs.
The funding comes from consequentials of the UK Government’s £500 million Household Support Fund.
Key elements of the package include:
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We know that many families are struggling financially due to the increased costs they are facing right now. This package of measure aims to ease some of that strain by providing direct support to people.
“The Scottish Government has invested £2.5 billion to support low income households in 2020-21, with around £1 billion focused on supporting children as a cornerstone of our national mission to tackle child poverty and homelessness.
“That includes doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per child per week, with our plans to do so set out in the forthcoming Scottish Budget.
“We are passing on every penny of the £41 million we received in UK Government consequentials.
“However, this in no way makes up for the recent £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit, which has taken an estimated £460 million from the pockets of the people in Scotland who need it most.”
Support for those struggling with fuel bills will include access to fuel top-up vouchers, advice to manage fuel debt and support for those in remote and rural areas.
The Winter Support Fund will continue to promote cash-first responses in line with our draft national plan on ending the need for food banks as a primary response. In some cases help may also be offered to tackle social isolation and support mental health.
In addition to helping people heat their homes and meet rising food costs, funding will help to ensure no-one is faced with rough sleeping this winter.
The funding comes from consequentials of the UK Government’s £500 million Household Support Fund.
