The Scottish Government has published its Programme for Government for 2026 to 2031, which confirms the return of long-delayed heat in buildings legislation but omits any mention of fuel poverty from its plans1. The programme commits the government to bringing forward a new Buildings (Heating and Energy Performance) and Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill3.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which reported the omission, said the programme "confirms the return of long-delayed heat in buildings legislation but omits any mention of fuel poverty from its plans"1.
"The Scottish Government has published its Programme for Government for 2026 to 2031 which confirms the return of long-delayed heat in buildings legislation but omits any mention of fuel poverty from its plans."
The housing and energy advice charity Changeworks described the bill as an opportunity to tackle one of the root causes of high energy bills, noting that Scottish homes are among the least energy efficient in Europe3. It said 29% of households in Scotland are in fuel poverty3. In the last year, Changeworks said it provided energy advice to more than 61,000 households and supported over 12,000 households to install energy efficiency measures3.
The programme was published in the same month as an energy price cap announcement that included an 8.7% price rise in gas3. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition reported that energy bills will increase for a majority of customers from 1 October 2026 as gas unit rates rise 27% year on year, the highest level since early 20231. It gave the confirmed cap level as £1,723 for 1 October to 31 December 20261.
Forecasts for the cap covering 1 January to 31 March 2027 range from around £1,872 (Cornwall Insight) to around £2,150 (Bloomberg Economics)1. The coalition's modelling, based on the upper end of that range, implies a gas unit rate of approximately 12p per kWh from 1 January 2027, against a gas unit rate of 5.93p per kWh under the cap for 1 January to 31 March 20261. The coalition said this would represent a doubling of the unit rate in 12 months1.
| Price cap period | Gas unit rate |
|---|---|
| 1 January to 31 March 2023 | 17p per kWh |
| 1 January to 31 March 2026 | 5.93p per kWh |
| 1 January to 31 March 2027 (modelled, upper forecast) | approximately 12p per kWh |
Gas unit rates have not exceeded 10p per kWh in any cap period since early 20231. Under the cap for 1 January to 31 March 2023 the gas unit rate reached 17p per kWh, although households paid less because the Energy Price Guarantee discounted the capped rate1.
Why it matters for households
The bill covers the energy performance of buildings and the regulation of heat networks, the two areas that determine how much heat a home loses and how much it costs to replace3. For a household, the practical effect of the legislation depends on the standards it sets and the funding attached to them, neither of which has been reported. Changeworks said the bill must be supported by increased funding for retrofit programmes, long term certainty for local authorities and housing providers, and continued investment in trusted energy advice services3.
The omission of fuel poverty from the programme means no new fuel poverty commitments have been reported alongside the legislation1. Fuel poverty rates differ by heating fuel type, and the number of Scottish homes using mains gas or renewable and low carbon heating shapes how many households are exposed to the gas unit rate1. The coalition's figures indicate that gas unit rates, rather than electricity rates, carry most of the forecast increase1.
What happens next
The next price cap period reflecting the new prices will be announced in late November and come into force on 1 January 20271. The coalition has set out a seven-point winter rescue plan for the Chancellor in a formal Budget submission, and more than 120 organisations have written to the Chancellor calling for levies to be moved off electricity bills and onto general taxation ahead of the Autumn Budget1. The coalition also reported that Reform have pledged to scrap the Warm Home Discount for 6 million households in the first 100 days after the next general election1. No timetable for the bill's introduction has been reported.
Sources3 cited
- News - End Fuel Poverty Coalition, endfuelpoverty.org.uk
- [](https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/feed/), endfuelpoverty.org.uk
- Scotland faces a choice: higher energy bills or warmer homes, changeworks.org.uk