New figures have revealed that the number of people in fuel poverty in Scotland in 2017 remained at a similar level to 2016, dropping slightly.
Published on 4 December, it was reported that 24.9%, or 613,000 households, were in fuel poverty in 2017 and 7% – 174,000 – were in extreme fuel poverty. In 2016, the comparative figures were 649,000 and 183,000 respectively. It was also found that the percentage of households in local authority housing in fuel poverty reduced from 36% in 2016 to 28% in 2017. Overall, in 2017, the rate of fuel poverty was at its lowest since 2006. Additionally, 42% of Scottish homes were in energy efficiency band C or higher in 2017, up from 39% in 2016.