Energy Action Scotland (EAS) has written to the First Minister urging him to reinstate the Fuel Insecurity Fund in next month's budget, the charity said in a news release dated 19 November 20241. The fund, which EAS said was worth £30 million last year, provided advice and grant funding for fuel poor households1.
EAS said fuel poverty rates in Scotland are now 31%, well above the 2019 figure of 24%1. It defines fuel poverty as a household spending more than 10% of its income on energy after housing costs have been deducted1. The charity also said energy debt has climbed to more than £4.5 billion across Great Britain, with households in Scotland carrying over £500 million of this burden1, and that energy prices have remained around 50% higher than in 20211.
"Energy Action Scotland recently wrote to the First Minister urging him to reinstate the Fuel Insecurity Fund in next month's budget."
The call came at the charity's annual conference in Glasgow, where five "Fuel Poverty Heroes" were honoured for their work in helping thousands of people around the country out of debt and working to make their homes warmer1. The five energy advisors, from the Western Isles, Ayrshire, Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh and Paisley, were recognised for their work in helping more than 350 people out of fuel poverty over the past year1. Separately, the retiring chief executive of the Energy Agency in Ayr was honoured with a lifetime achievement award by EAS; Liz Marquis has led the Agency for the last 25 years, and it operates across South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway1.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Fuel Insecurity Fund value, last year | £30 million1 |
| Fuel poverty rate in Scotland, now | 31%1 |
| Fuel poverty rate in Scotland, 2019 | 24%1 |
| Energy debt, Great Britain | more than £4.5 billion1 |
| Energy debt, Scottish households | over £500 million1 |
Why it matters for households
The Fuel Insecurity Fund was a route to both advice and grant funding for households in or near fuel poverty, so its absence changes what help is available to people who cannot cover essential heat and power1. EAS said Scotland is already facing a situation in which one in three people cannot afford essential heat and power1. For a household, the practical effect of a fund of this kind is that it can sit alongside crisis funds and hardship grants as a source of support when a bill cannot be paid, rather than as a contribution to the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. The wider grants and schemes landscape in Scotland is separate from the Fuel Insecurity Fund and is not changed by this letter.
EAS also linked high prices to health outcomes, saying that during the previous peak in 2022/23, even with government support, Scotland recorded its highest level of winter deaths in two decades, and that research by Age Scotland found that in December 2023 almost 900 people over the age of 50 were admitted to hospital with symptoms consistent with hypothermia1. It said from July onwards average gas and electricity bills may rise above £2,000, with the risk of further increases into Winter 2026/271.
What happens next
The Scottish budget was due the month after the letter, in December 20241. EAS said it asked its members what was important to them and drew those issues together into its manifesto for change ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May 20261. It has not been reported whether the fund has been reinstated.
Sources1 cited
- [](https://eas.org.uk/category/news-releases/feed/), eas.org.uk