Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Rural Scottish households face significant barriers accessing home energy efficiency schemes despite high need.
Conclusion
One way to help reduce energy costs in the long-term is to improve the energy efficiency of homes. The challenge of retrofitting and insulating homes, in terms of cost, time and practicality, are particularly acute for rural areas. Rural Scottish households are therefore facing more barriers to accessing home energy efficiency schemes, despite being most in-need of them. Addressing this challenge will be key to reducing the rural premium for these Scottish consumers. (Paragraph 36) 28 Cost of living: impact on rural communities in Scotland
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the challenges of improving energy efficiency in rural Scottish homes, noting that housing policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. However, it highlights that its UK-wide Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme already includes specific uplifts and provisions for rural, low-income, off-gas grid homes in Scotland.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
48. Energy efficiency is key to tackling fuel poverty, contributing to the long-term reduction of energy bills, and reaching net zero. In England, the UK Government has a statutory target to ensure that as many fuel poor households as reasonably practicable achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of Band C by 2030. 49. In the case of Scotland, housing policy is firmly a devolved responsibility, with the energy efficiency of homes being a matter for the Scottish Government. The UK Government, in exercising its reserved responsibilities over energy policy - such as through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), also recognises that it too has a key role in improving energy efficiency in Scotland. The ECO obligates larger energy suppliers to promote energy efficiency and heating measures to low-income and vulnerable households living in the least energy efficient homes across Great Britain. The current ECO schemes – ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme – run until March 2026, at a combined value of £5 billion to accelerate our efforts to improve homes to meet the government’s fuel poverty target. 50. Recognising that remoteness can be a particular factor and challenge for some Scottish homes, an uplift on measure scores applies for rural low-income off-gas grid homes in Scotland. In addition, the ECO Flex enables local authorities across Great Britain and the Devolved Administrations to work with energy suppliers in targeting those households assessed to be most in need of support. Since April 2017, around 45,000 ECO Flex measures have been delivered in Scotland, accounting for around 18% of all ECO Flex measures installed.