The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) 2024 Key Findings, an Accredited Official Statistics publication for Scotland, estimates that 28.7 per cent of all households, around 732,000, were in fuel poverty in 20241. This is lower than the 2023 rate of 33.9 per cent, or 859,000 households2. The report describes a decrease of 127,000 households, or five percentage points, between the two years1.
Extreme fuel poverty fell by a similar margin. Around 357,000 households, 14.0 per cent of all households, were in extreme fuel poverty in 2024, against 491,000, or 19.4 per cent, in 2023, a fall of 134,000 households or five percentage points1.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel poverty (thousands) | 859 | 732 |
| Fuel poverty (%) | 33.9% | 28.7% |
| Extreme fuel poverty (thousands) | 491 | 357 |
| Extreme fuel poverty (%) | 19.4% | 14.0% |
The report attributes the change largely to prices. In 2024 the weighted average index price of heating fuels fell by approximately 23.3 per cent compared with 20231. Mean modelled annual running costs fell by around 16.3 per cent, from £3,150 in 2023 to £2,640 in 20242. The median fuel poverty gap in 2024 was £1,0301.
The survey also records how households monitor their consumption: 54 per cent reported having energy monitoring devices, up from 48 per cent in 20231. The 2024 figures rest on 2,902 surveyed properties, with household interviews between January 2024 and February 2025 and physical surveys between January 2024 and March 20251. The report notes that the 2021 SHCS used a different approach and its results are not directly comparable with other years1.
"In 2024 an estimated 28.7% (around 732,000 households) of all households were in fuel poverty. This is lower than the 2023 fuel poverty rate of 33.9%"
Why it matters for households
Fuel poverty in Scotland is measured against a statutory definition set by the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019, which received Royal Assent on 18th July 2019, with further regulations on enhanced heating and on remote rural, remote small town and island areas coming into force on 26th February 20201. The rate therefore reflects both household income and the modelled cost of heating a home to a defined standard, not simply energy prices. A fall driven mainly by lower fuel prices can reverse if prices rise again, because the underlying dwelling and income conditions have not necessarily changed. For a household, the practical question is whether its home can be kept warm at a cost that leaves enough income for everything else, and the survey's running cost and fuel poverty gap figures are the closest published measure of that.
The report also sets out fabric and heating changes that bear on running costs over time: boiler efficiency standards were increased again from February 2023 for all new and replacement boilers, and from April 2024 the New Build Heat Standard allows only zero direct emission heat solutions, a definition that includes heat networks, bioenergy and peat, in new builds1. On insulation, 67 per cent of dwellings with lofts had insulation of 200 mm or more in 2024, against 27 per cent in 2009, and 35 per cent of lofts were insulated to 300 mm or more, up from 32 per cent in 20232. In the social sector, around 99 per cent of dwellings had lofts insulated to 100 mm or more2.
What happens next
A Local Authority level analysis will follow this report, using the three year pooled data set for 2022 to 2024. The Scottish Government expects these estimates to be published in mid 20261.
Sources2 cited
- Key+Findings+2024+-+Complete+report.pdf, gov.scot
- Key+Findings+2024+-+Complete+report.pdf, gov.scot