MEDIA RELEASE from The Existing Homes Alliance
A new net zero heating package could cut the cost of
heating for thousands of households by transforming Scotland’s rural homes,
according to rural organisations.
The Existing Homes Alliance [1] and rural groups are calling for the Scottish Government to set up a Rural Homes Just Transition Package [2] that would support people living in rural and island areas to insulate their homes and install zero emissions, renewables-based heating systems.
People living in rural areas are significantly more
likely to be living in fuel poverty, with 42% of households in remote rural
homes classed as fuel poor or in extreme fuel poverty. This compares to 24.6%
across Scotland as a whole. These figures are from 2019 and the true scale of
fuel poverty is now believed to be significantly higher, with research earlier
this year suggesting as many as 57% of people living in the Western Isles could
be in fuel poverty [3]. Rural communities also face higher living costs with
research suggesting that living in remote rural Scotland typically adds 15-30%
to a household budget [4].
Rural households face higher heating costs as many are dependent
on expensive oil heating systems, with high and fluctuating upfront fuel costs.
Oil heating is not regulated by Ofgem which means people with oil heating
systems are not protected by the Energy Price Guarantee. In the last 12 months
the cost of heating oil has doubled with prices rising from around 64p per
litre to £1.20 per litre. [5]
The Scottish Government has committed to phasing out
the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in areas not
connected to the gas-grid, including most of rural Scotland, by 2025 [6]. Campaigners
argue that more support is needed if this is to happen in a way that is fair
and affordable to rural households, with help needed to increase the number of
local installers.
“Helping people in rural communities to replace
expensive fossil fuel heating and make their homes easier to heat must be at the
heart of Scotland’s budget”, according to the Existing Homes Alliance chair,
Professor Lori McElroy.
Professor McElroy goes on to say, “Working in
partnership with rural stakeholder groups, we have developed a package of
policies and measures that should be taken forward immediately by the Scottish
Government to help make rural homes warmer and cheaper to heat. This package
will help address the desperate situation that many households are facing this
winter, as well as building resilience for the future.”
The £1.5 million package includes support for new
collective purchase and community asset ownership models to pay for the
improvements, enhanced grants and loans to cover additional insulation and
running costs, and a support service for rural businesses to help them build
the skills needed to decarbonise rural heating.
Bryan Leask, Chief Executive of Hjaltland Housing
Association, member of the Rural and Islands Housing Association Forum said, “Rural
and island communities are being hammered by some of the highest energy prices
around, so ending our reliance on volatile fossil fuels for heating must be a
priority. This package of measures would help ensure a fair transition to
zero emissions heating for rural communities - tackling fuel poverty, cutting
emissions and supporting rural businesses.”
The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), which
represents private landlords, has endorsed the package, adding “Private landlords provide vital housing in rural areas
and need support to make sure tenants benefit from reductions in bills. SAL welcomes
the Rural Homes Just Transition Package which proposes vital support mechanisms
to help rural households lead the way in the transition to zero carbon
heating.”
Catriona Mallows, Campaigns and Communications Officer
with Scottish Rural Action said “Many people across rural and island Scotland are
facing real hardship this winter because of rising energy prices. This
package of measures would help alleviate that hardship in the short term, as well
as providing the framework needed to decarbonise homes in a way that is fair
and sustainable.”
Ends
For further information contact:
Gillian Campbell, Communications and Public Affairs
Lead
M 07788 488801
E gillian@campbellconsulting.scot
Notes:
|
1. |
The Existing Homes Alliance is
a coalition of housing, environmental, fuel poverty, consumer and industry
organisations that believes Scotland’s existing homes must be transformed to
help tackle fuel poverty and climate change. |
|
2. |
The proposed Rural Homes Just Transition Package has
been developed in collaboration with rural stakeholders, including Rural and
Islands Housing Association Forum (RIHAF), Rural Housing Scotland, Scottish
Association of Landlords, Scottish Rural Action and The Pebble Trust. The
package includes measures to ensure equality for people living in rural
communities and ensure that they can maximise the benefits of being at the
forefront of Scotland’s transition to zero emissions heating. |
|
3. |
This is based on the most recent official
statistics from 2019 and the current level of fuel poverty is likely to
be higher due to people spending more time at home during the pandemic,
recent energy price hikes and the cost of living crisis. |
|
4. |
The Cost of Remoteness, Loughborough University Centre
for Research in Social Policy, Scottish Government, September 2021. |
|
5. |
Around 130,000 homes in Scotland use heating oil,
mostly in rural communities. Oil
prices are unregulated and have doubled over the last 12 months. Scottish
homeowners could be forced to downsize due to rising cost of heating oil |
ITV News Border https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/17904251/heating-oil-bills-double-in-just-two-weeks/
|
|
6. |
The Scottish Government published a Heat in Buildings Strategy in October 2021 which sets out a vision for over 1
million homes in Scotland to convert to zero emissions heating by 2030. As part of this plan, the Scottish
Government has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers
in off-gas grid areas by 2025, and in on-gas grid areas by 2030. Funding for
fossil fuel heating systems will be phased out from Scottish Government
delivery programmes by 2024 (where it is not detrimental to fuel poverty
objectives) and the Scottish Government has already ended public funding for
oil and LPG heating. |
For further information
about the Existing Homes Alliance visit www.existinghomesalliancescotland.co.uk
Existing Homes Alliance
Scotland, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, (SCIO), No SC048434
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