Scarf has vowed to continue their fight against fuel poverty in the North East as the Scottish Government missed its target to eradicate fuel poverty by November 2016.
The Scottish Government had a statutory duty under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ‘ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that people are not living in fuel poverty in Scotland by November 2016’.
Scarf, established in 1985, was originally set up to eradicate fuel poverty in the North East and today those aims remain at its core. Thane Lawrie, Chief Executive of Scarf, said of the announcement: “While we are disappointed that the deadline has not been met we recognise the significant changes that have been achieved in the past 15 years in terms of fuel poverty. Substantial efforts have been made in improving the energy efficiency standards of properties across Scotland.”
“Last year alone Scarf helped over 2,204 people in the North East by delivering energy efficiency advice and support through our Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT).
“HEAT offer free home visits to assess the energy efficiency of properties and provide heating demonstrations to help residents get the most out of their existing heating systems. Advisors will also work with the householder to find them the best deal on their energy bills. They can also identify any damp and condensation problems a property may have.
“This personal approach to helping people better heat their homes is fundamental to ensure those living in fuel poverty are receiving the help they need.
“We recognise that there is still a long way to go to ensure no household in Scotland is living in fuel poverty and in the mean time we will continue to ensure we meet the needs of the people that need us in the North East.”
A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more than 10% of its income on all household fuel use.
Extreme fuel poverty is defined as spending 20% or more.
For advice or to arrange a free home visit householders can call freephone 0808 129 0888.
