We Must “Spend to Save” to Tackle Fuel Poverty

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has today welcomed the report from Consumer Focus Scotland, “Turning Up the Heat,” which calls for more to be done to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland.

SFHA Policy & Strategy Manager David Stewart said:

“We welcome the fact that the report shows the housing association sector to be the most energy efficient housing sector in Scotland, but we recognise there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are to eradicate fuel poverty.

“Public purse”

“The report notes that most social landlords have met or exceeded the regulations contained in the Scottish Housing Quality Standard(1), which is a fine achievement.

“But rising fuel prices combined with public spending cuts mean the prospects of meeting the 2016 Fuel Poverty target look rather bleak. The report is right therefore to suggest targeting resources at those in greatest need and developing more area-based schemes. We support its conclusion that resources need to be set aside for tacking fuel poverty, but without compromising access to affordable housing.

“As the voice of Scotland’s housing associations on the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum, the SFHA continues to push for radical action to address the ongoing plight of Scotland’s fuel poor.

“We believe that investing more in tackling fuel poverty now, whether that be rolling out advice and access to social tariffs or insulation for homes, is what will deliver real efficiency savings for the public purse.”

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