Scottish House Condition Survey: 2024 Key Findings
Figures from the 2024 survey, including updated fuel poverty rates, energy efficiency ratings, the condition of housing and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
3 Fuel Poverty
Key Points
- In 2024, 732,000 households (28.7% of all households) were estimated to be in fuel poverty, of which 357,000 (14.0% of all households) were in extreme fuel poverty. This is lower than the 2023 estimates of 33.9% (859,000 households) for fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty 19.4% (491,000 households)[1].
- This corresponds to a decrease of 127,000 (or five percentage points) in the number of households in fuel poverty and a decrease of 134,000 (or five percentage points) in the number of households in extreme fuel poverty between 2023 and 2024.
- This decrease in the fuel poverty rate largely reflects the fall in energy prices in 2024 wherein the average index price of fuels for Scotland decreased by 23.3% compared to 2023.
- The actual median fuel poverty gap for fuel poor households in 2024 was £1,030. This is lower than the median fuel poverty gap from 2024 of £1,250 and corresponds to a decrease of around £220.
- The median fuel poverty gap (adjusted for 2015 prices) for fuel poor households was £770. This is lower than the adjusted gap in 2023 of £960 and corresponds to a decrease of around £190.
- Overall rates of fuel poverty differed between the social sector (49%) and the private sector (22%). Similarly, households in the social sector were more likely to be in extreme fuel poverty (22%) compared to households in the private sector (11%).
- 42% of households using electricity as their primary heating fuel were fuel poor, higher than households using gas (27%), oil (23%), and households using other fuel types (26%) as their primary heating fuel.
- A higher proportion of households with a pre-payment meter (PPM; electricity, gas or both) were in fuel poverty compared to those without a PPM; 39% compared to 27% respectively.
- Fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty have a strong association with income, with rates increasing as annual household income decreases. For example, 96% of households with an annual net income less than £15,000 were in fuel poverty compared to 51% of households earning between £15,000 and £24,999 annually.
- For both fuel poor and extreme fuel poor households, the lowest rates of fuel poverty are generally associated with higher energy efficiency standards. 26% of households living in dwellings rated EPC band C or better were fuel poor, compared to 32% living in dwellings in band D.
- Although low income is associated with fuel poverty, it is not equivalent. 78% of fuel poor households were also income poor in 2024 whilst the other 22% would not be considered income poor.
3.1 Definition and Measurement of Fuel Poverty
Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 (section 88), the Scottish Government was committed to eradicating fuel poverty as far as practicably possible by November 2016. In June 2016, the Minister for Local Government and Housing informed Parliament that, based on the advice received from experts, it was unlikely that the statutory fuel poverty target would be met. This was confirmed by 2016 and 2017 fuel poverty rates, under the old definition of fuel poverty, of 26.5% and 24.9% respectively.
The Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy)(Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 26 June 2018 and the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy)(Scotland) Act 2019 received Royal Assent on 18th July 2019. This includes a new definition of fuel poverty based on advice from an independent panel of experts and further scrutiny and amendment by the Scottish Parliament.
This was followed by The Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 which received royal assent in February 2020 and defined the heating regimes to be used in the measurement of fuel poverty.
As set out in section 3 of the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act, a household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, total fuel costs necessary for the home are more than 10% of the household’s adjusted net income (after housing costs), and if after deducting fuel costs, benefits received for a care need or disability and childcare costs, the household’s remaining adjusted net income is insufficient to maintain an acceptable standard of living. The remaining adjusted net income must be at least 90% of the UK Minimum Income Standard (MIS) to be considered an acceptable standard of living, with an additional amount added for households in remote rural, remote small town and island (RRRSTI) areas.
Extreme fuel poverty follows the same definition except that a household would have to spend more than 20% of its adjusted net income (after housing costs) on total fuel costs to maintain a satisfactory heating regime.
It is important to note that households in extreme fuel poverty are also considered to be in fuel poverty and consequently represent a subset of the total number of fuel poor households.
Where a household is in fuel poverty, the fuel poverty gap is the annual amount that would be required to move the household out of fuel poverty. This is either:
- the amount required so that the fuel costs necessary for the home are no longer more than 10% of the household’s adjusted net income (after housing costs), or
- the amount required which, after deducting fuel costs, benefits received for a care need or disability[2] and childcare costs, means the household’s remaining adjusted net income is sufficient to maintain an acceptable standard of living.
The figure taken to determine the gap for each household is the lower of the two options.
The Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019 also set targets to eradicate fuel poverty. The 2040 targets are that:
- no more than 5% of households in Scotland would be in fuel poverty
- no more than 1% of households in Scotland would be in extreme fuel poverty
- the median fuel poverty gap of households in Scotland in fuel poverty would be no more than £250 at 2015 prices (adjusted to take account of changes in the value of money).
The Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 and Fuel Poverty (Additional Amount in respect of Remote Rural Area, Remote Small Town and Island Area) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 came into force on the 26th February 2020. These regulations set out the types of households to which the enhanced heating regimes are appropriate and specify a person who is to determine the uplifts to the UK MIS for households living in Remote Rural Area, Remote Small Town and Island (RRRSTI) areas.
The estimates in this report include an uplift to the UK MIS for households living in RRRSTI areas, as determined by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University. These uplifts are published in The Cost of Remoteness: Reflecting higher living costs in remote rural Scotland. In 2024 the uplifts ranged from 8.4% to 32.8% depending on household type and location. A full breakdown of the uplifts is shown in Table 3.1.
|
Household Type |
Uplift if on mainland (%) |
Uplift if on Island |
Base MIS value applied |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Couple with children |
8.4% |
9.7% |
£28,420 - £58,670[3] |
|
Single working age |
21.9% |
24.6% |
£15,300 |
|
Couple working age |
22.4% |
26.5% |
£25,600 |
|
Single pensioner |
32.8% |
32.1% |
£12,360 |
|
Couple Pensioner |
21.3% |
29.1% |
£19,830 |
The UK MIS values used in this report are based on the full 107 MIS household budgets for detailed family types provided by Loughborough University[4] [5]. Under this approach each household receives a MIS value based on the characteristics of the household including the age of the adults and children, and if adults in the household are in a relationship.
For statistics in this publication heating regimes are set based on the Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which specifies the households for which enhanced heating temperatures and/or hours are appropriate.
Enhanced heating temperatures are 23°C in the living room and 20°C in other rooms.
Standard heating temperatures are 21°C in the living room and 18°C in other rooms.
Enhanced heating hours are 16 hours a day during the week and at the weekend.
Standard heating hours are 9 hours a day during the week and 16 hours a day during the weekend.
A satisfactory heating regime is defined as follows.
Enhanced heating temperatures and enhanced heating hours (enhanced heating regime 1) are appropriate for households where the dwelling is frequently occupied during the morning or afternoon or both on weekdays by any member of the household when it is cold and any member of the household meets one or more of the following criteria: is aged 75 or over; has a long-term sickness or disability; or is in receipt of benefits received for a care need or disability.
Enhanced heating temperatures and standard heating hours (enhanced heating regime 2) are appropriate for households where the dwelling is not frequently occupied during the morning or afternoon or both on weekdays by any member of the household when it is cold and any member of the household meets one or more of the following criteria: is aged 75 or over; has a long-term sickness or disability; or is in receipt of benefits received for a care need or disability.
Standard heating temperatures and enhanced heating hours (enhanced heating regime 3) are appropriate for households where the dwelling is frequently occupied during the morning or afternoon or both on weekdays by any member of the household when it is cold and any member of a household has a child aged 5 years old or under and the household is not a household for which enhanced heating regimes 1 or 2 are appropriate.
For all other households, standard heating temperatures and standard heating hours (the standard heating regime) apply.
Although space heating is the largest component of the energy spend which underpins the fuel poverty estimate, there are other types of energy use that are also taken into account, such as water heating, lighting, appliance use, and cooking. All types of energy expenditure are estimated on the basis of a standard set of behavioural assumptions and do not reflect the actual energy use of the household, which may vary considerably depending on personal preference and priorities relative to other types of household expenditure.
The majority of modelled energy use is for space heating.
Figure 3.1: Mean Modelled Household Energy Consumption by End Use.
Description of Figure 3.1
Figure 3.1 shows that, on average, around 74% of the modelled household energy demand was from space heating, 12% from water heating, 11% from lighting and appliance usage, and 3% was accounted for by cooking.
Data Source: Table FP1 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty- tables and figures’.
The energy costs of maintaining a satisfactory heating regime and other uses of energy are modelled using data from the physical inspection of dwellings, the household interview conducted as part of the SHCS, as well as information on consumer fuel prices.
The methodology for modelling the cost of energy use was updated for the 2014 Key Findings report and details were provided in the accompanying 2014 Methodology Notes.
This report continues to use the improved BRE Domestic Energy Model (BREDEM) methodology for estimating domestic energy requirements, incorporating refinements introduced since 2016. These include adjustments made in 2019 for pre-payment meters, detailed combi boiler data, and off-peak tariff assignments for lighting and appliances. From 2021, postcode-level weather data replaced regional averages to better reflect local conditions. Energy costs account for the Warm Home Discount but exclude the discontinued Government Electricity Rebate. For full details on these methods and assumptions, see the methodology notes accompanying this publication.
Additionally, from 2021 methodological changes were implemented to allow fuel poverty estimates to fully meet the definition of fuel poverty as laid out in the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019, The Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, and The Fuel Poverty (Additional Amount in respect of Remote Rural Area, Remote Small Town and Island Area) (Scotland) Regulations 2020. This included: Placing households on one of 4 heating regimes as laid out in The Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, using the full 107 Minimum Income Standard (MIS) Household budgets produced by Loughborough University, including childcare costs, using the net income of all household members, and including imputed housing costs[6].
For 2024 household income used in the calculation of fuel poverty also includes an adjustment to account for the cost of living payments as paid in the 2024 calendar year. For 2024 this was the £299 paid to eligible households under the Low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment. (See Section 1.5.3, of the technical methodological notes for full details).
3.2 Fuel Poverty and Extreme Fuel Poverty
In 2024, an estimated 28.7% of all households were in fuel poverty, around 732,000 households (see Table 3.2). Lower than the 33.9% of households in in 2023. This corresponds to a decrease of 127,000 (or five percentage points) in the number of households in fuel poverty.
Around 357,000 of these households (14.0% of all households) were living in extreme fuel poverty (see Table 3.2). Lower than the 19.4% of households in 2023. This corresponds to a decrease of 134,000 (or five percentage points) in the number of households in extreme fuel poverty.
28.7% of households were in fuel poverty in 2024.
Fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty has decreased since 2023.
Figure 3.2: Estimates of Fuel Poverty and Extreme Fuel poverty since 2012.
Data Source: Tables FP2 and FP4 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty- tables and figures’.
Notes: [note 6]
3.3 Fuel Poverty Gap
Where a household is in fuel poverty, the fuel poverty gap is the annual amount that would be required to move the household out of fuel poverty. The fuel poverty gap is presented as the median gap before adjustment and the median gap adjusted to 2015 prices. The median gap before adjustment presents the actual amount that fuel poor households require to move out of fuel poverty. The adjusted median gap figures have been presented in order to assess progress against the 2040 fuel poverty gap target. The adjustment has been made in alignment with the increases or decreases in the annual average consumer prices index (CPI) over the period from 2015 to the year which the figure relates to.
The median fuel poverty gap in 2024 was £1,030.
In 2024 the median fuel poverty gap for fuel poor households was £1,030 (Table 3.3). This is lower than the median fuel poverty gap from 2023 of £1,250 and corresponds to a decrease of around £220.
The median fuel poverty gap (adjusted for 2015 prices) for fuel poor households was £770. This is lower than the adjusted median fuel poverty gap from 2023 of £960 and corresponds to a decrease of around £190.
The actual and adjusted fuel poverty gap has decreased since 2023.
Figure 3.3: Estimated adjusted and actual median Fuel Poverty gap since 2012.
Description of Figure 3.3
Figure 3.3 shows the actual and adjusted median fuel poverty gap since 2012. As shown, there was little change in the fuel poverty gap between 2012 and 2014 after which there was a fall in 2015. The gap remained at a similar level between 2016 and 2018, but rose for both the actual and adjusted gap in 2019. In 2022, the adjusted and actual fuel poverty gaps saw a sharp increase due to rising fuel prices. The fuel poverty gap remained stable in 2023 before falling in 2024.
Data Source: Table FP3 ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
3.4 Drivers and Trends
Fuel poverty is affected by levels of household income, the price of fuel required for space and water heating, the energy efficiency of the dwelling, and the required use of fuel by households to maintain satisfactory heating regimes. Fuel poverty is distinct from poverty in that, while low income is an important driver, it is not a prerequisite. As shown in Figure 3.5 fuel poor households are found in all income bands. For example in 2024 around 6% of household earning a net income of between £35,000 and £44,999 were fuel poor, despite being in the top half of the income distribution recorded in the SHCS (see Table FP8 in the Excel tables).
Table FP4 in the Excel workbook shows indexes constructed to compare trends in three key drivers of fuel poverty since 2012.
In the below sections we describe the changes observed in household income, fuel prices and energy efficiency (through energy consumption). As well as break down the impact that changes in each of these drives has had on the overall fuel poverty rate between 2023 and 2024.
3.4.1 Fuel Costs
DESNZ publish quarterly energy prices data on the price of key fuels which enables us to construct a time series of the price of fuels for the average Scottish household over the longer term. For further information on the data sources which feed into these National Statistics and the quality assurance processes undertaken see the DESNZ domestic energy prices guidance document.
Using information from the SHCS about the fuels used for space and water heating we can weight the published national quarterly fuel price indices, DESNZ QEP 2.13 and produce an average index value for the price of the heating fuel requirement for Scotland. Since the majority of Scottish households heat their properties with gas (81%), the national average index follows the gas index closely.
The weighted index price of fuel fell by 23.3% in 2024.
Figure 3.4: Index prices of fuels 2016 to September 2025.
Description of Figure 3.4
As shown in Figure 3.4 in 2017 and 2018 the average index grew by 1.2% and 5.4%, respectively, mostly driven by electricity (up 8.7% in 2018) and liquid fuels (up 25.3% in 2018). In 2019, the fuel price index grew again by 0.7%. The largest increases were in electricity (up 7.3%), solid fuels (3.6%) and other domestic fuels (3.8%). The average index for liquid fuels fell by 2.6% compared to 2018. In 2020 the average index fell by 9.4% driven by falling gas prices (-10%) and liquid fuels (-30.1%) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 the fuel price index grew by 2.4% due mainly to increases in liquid fuel prices (31.8%) however it remained 7% lower than 2019 levels. In 2022 the average index grew by 82.7% driven by an increase in all fuel types with gas 90%, and liquid fuels 86.5% showing the largest increases compared to 2021. Increases in gas prices were driven in part by uncertainties over the future Russian gas supply following the invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023 the average index continued to rise and grew by 15.6%, with gas showing the largest increase at 18.4% compared to 2022.
In 2024 the weighted average index price of heating fuels fell by approximately 23.3% compared to 2023, driven primarily due to gas (down 25.0%), and electricity (down by 15.2%). As seen in Figure 3.3 energy prices peaked between Quarter 4 of 2022 and Quarter 2 of 2023 before falling in Quarter 3 of 2023.
DESNZ has published fuel price data up to September 2025. As fuel use changes slowly, we assume that the fuel mix in Scotland in 2025 was the same as captured by the 2024 SHCS in order to extend the weighted average for Scotland into 2025. Under this approach the weighted average in 2025 is similar to 2024 (a 2.4% increase). Between 2024 and Q3 2025 liquid fuels decreased the most at 10.5% while Gas increased the most at 3.4%.
Data Source: Weighted Average -Table FP4 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’ and Individual fuels - DESNZ Domestic energy price indices.
3.4.2 Household Income
The SHCS is not designed to capture income as comprehensively as other formal surveys of income and is collected on a self-reported basis. Income was previously collected on the highest income householder and their spouse. However, from 2018 a methodological improvement was implemented to collect total household income, including the income of other adults. For context, in the 2024 survey 12% of households interviewed (or 334 households) had a different total household income under this methodology, compared to the income of only the highest income householder and their spouse. Due to this change in data collection, while we are able to provide a time series from 2012 for income data (Table FP4 Excel files), it should be noted that all data prior to 2018 represents the income of the highest income householder and their spouse only. See Table FP 4 in SHCS 2023- Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty- tables and figures for a full time series of median household incomes from 2012.
Income is reported in nominal terms and is not equivalised to take into account that households of different size and composition need different levels of income to sustain the same living standard. However, household size and composition is accounted for in the fuel poverty calculation by assigning each household a MIS value based on their household characteristics (see Table 3.1 for range of MIS values). Figures in this section therefore may not align with official statistics on household income and inequality.
Median net household income was £31,200 in 2024.
In 2024, 50% of households earned £31,200 or more after tax, higher than the £30,400 in 2023 (Table 3.4). This equates to an increase in median net income of 3% compared to 2023, although the difference for mean net income was found to be within the margin of error of the survey.
The mean net income of surveyed households was similar in 2024 (around £38,200) compared to 2023 (£37,100). Percentage change in income between years varied across income deciles with increases in income ranging between 1% in decile 10 and 5% in decile 3 and 4. There were no decreases in income for any decile group.
3.4.3 Housing Stock
As shown in Table 3.5b the mean modelled energy consumption in 2024 was 24,520 Kwh, similar to the modelled consumption of 24,380 Kwh in 2023. This annual consumption is calculated based on households being placed on one of four heating regimes as described in section 3.1 above. As shown in Table EE7a in ‘SHCS 2023- Chapter 02 Energy Efficiency- tables and figures’ 56% of Scottish homes had an EPC rating of C or better in 2024 similar to 2023 levels.
Over the same time period, mean running costs as shown in Table 3.5a have decreased by around 16.3% from £3,150 in 2023 to £2,640 in 2024. This reflects the overall decrease in domestic fuel prices, between 2023 and 2024, and demonstrates the importance of fuel prices as a driver of fuel poverty rates. Mean annual running cost is calculated based on a household’s specfic fuel type, annual fuel costs (as discussed in section 3.1) and their specific heating regime.
Mean modelled annual running costs were £2,640 in 2024.
Mean modelled annual energy consumption was 24,520 kwh in 2024.
|
Year |
Mean KWh |
Annual change |
Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2012 |
29,620 |
2,787 |
|
|
2013 |
28,960 |
-2% |
2,725 |
|
2014 |
29,200 |
1% |
2,682 |
|
2015 |
29,070 |
0% |
2,754 |
|
2016 |
28,290 |
-3% |
2,850 |
|
2017 |
28,260 |
0% |
3,002 |
|
2018 |
27,790 |
-2% |
2,964 |
|
2019 |
28,430 |
2% |
2,997 |
|
2022 |
25,350 |
-11% |
2,983 |
|
2023 |
24,380 |
-4% |
3,151 |
|
2024 |
24,520 |
1% |
2,902 |
3.4.4 Impact on fuel poverty
To understand how the changes in the price of domestic fuels, the incomes of the households included in the SHCS sample, and household MIS budgets required for an acceptable standard of living interact with other factors such as the performance of the housing stock, and housing costs, we carry out a micro-simulation. This seeks to isolate the impact of each set of factors on the level of fuel poverty recorded in 2024. The results are illustrated in Figure 3.4.
The analysis which underpins these findings uses SHCS data from 2024 and 2023 to model hypothetical rates of fuel poverty under different scenarios, adding one change at a time. This included the following steps as shown in Table 3.6.
- First, 2024 fuel prices were applied to the 2023 survey sample to determine the effect of fuel price changes alone under 2023 levels of energy demand and household net income.
- Next, the income of households in the achieved sample were uprated by the mean change observed for their decile group between 2023 and 2024 and households were assigned the 2024 Mis value for their household type. This demonstrated the additional effect of changes to income and household budgets needed for a decent standard of living on fuel poverty between 2023 and 2024.
- We then compare the fuel poverty rate modelled at the previous step with the estimate for 2024. The difference is estimated to be the effect of other factors including the energy performance of the housing stock, changes to housing costs, and other sampled housing stock changes between 2023 and 2024[8].
Decreases in fuel prices had the largest impact on the change in fuel poverty rate between 2023 and 2024.
Decreases in fuel prices had the largest impact on the change in fuel poverty rate between 2023 and 2024.
Figure 3.5: Contributions to Change in Fuel Poverty Rate Between 2023 and 2024.
Description of Figure 3.5
The results from the micro-simulation analysis indicate that changes in fuel prices and changes in income and MIS budgets would affect fuel prices differently. Applying fuel price changes decreases the fuel poverty rate by 3.3 percentage points following the trend of decreasing fuel prices between 2023 and 2024.
However, changes to income and MIS budgets resulted in a net neutral effect on fuel poverty rates. This is likely due to the fact that MIS budgets have grown between 8% and 10% between 2023 and 2024, reflecting increases in the cost of living, which has counteracted any increases in income observed in the survey.
The residual change is attributed to other factors such as differences in energy efficiency performance, changes to housing costs, other changes in the housing stock as described in section 3.5.3 and other underlying changes to the sampled stock distribution. These factors combine to decrease the rate by 1.9 percentage points.
Data Source: Table FP7 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
3.5 Characteristics of Fuel Poor Households
Fuel poverty is affected by four key drivers: levels of household income, the price of fuel used to meet space and water heating requirements, the energy efficiency of housing, and the use of fuel in households[9]. The following sections present the fuel poverty rate broken down by three of these drivers (income, primary heating fuel used, energy efficiency) as well as other key household and dwelling characteristics. Tables FP15 and FP16 in the excel files show the composition of all fuel poor households broken down key dwelling and household attributes.
3.5.1 Household Characteristics
Figure 3.6 shows fuel poverty rates by a number of household characteristics.
Households earning under £15,000 (net) income had the highest rates of fuel poverty (96%).
Figure 3.6: Fuel Poverty Rates by Household Characteristics, 2024.
Description of Figure 3.6
Overall rates of fuel poverty differed between the social (49%) and private sector (22%). The highest rates of fuel poverty by tenure continue to be found in the rental sector where 52% of households renting from a local authority and 45% of households renting from a housing association are fuel poor. Similarly, 37% of private rented sector households are fuel poor. In comparison, only 15% of those with a mortgage and 23% of those who own outright are assessed to be fuel poor.
Fuel poverty has a strong association with income, and households in the lower income bands have the highest rates of fuel poverty: 96% for the bottom income band (less than £15,000 annually), which is similar to 2023, and 51% for the 2nd bottom band (£15,000 - £24,999 annually), lower than 2023 but still significantly higher than the income bands above it. For comparison, the fuel poverty rate for households earning between £35,000 and £44,999 annually was found to be 6%.
Fuel poverty rates generally decrease as council tax bands increase from band A (46%) to band F (21%) and bands G to H (14%).
Families (25%) have lower rates of fuel poverty than older households (30%), but similar rates to other households (29%). Other households[10] have similar rates to older households.
Data Source: Table FP8 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
3.5.2 Dwelling Characteristics
Figure 3.7 shows how the level of fuel poverty varies across dwelling characteristics.
Dwellings in remote rural areas (38%) and remote small towns (47%) had similar rates of fuel poverty which were higher than other areas.
Figure 3.7: Fuel Poverty Rates by Dwelling Characteristics, 2024.
Description of Figure 3.7
The lowest rates of fuel poverty are generally associated with higher energy efficiency standards. 26% of households living in dwellings rated EPC band C or better were fuel poor compared to 36% of households living in dwellings rated EPC band E and 32% for households in band D. Similarly, households living in dwellings built after 1982 had lower rates of fuel poverty (21%) compared to all other dwelling ages.
Detached houses had the lowest rates of fuel poverty, at 19%, despite having lower energy efficiency ratings than the national average (Figure 2.10), likely reflecting higher household incomes.
The fuel poverty rate for rural households (28%) was similar to the fuel poverty rate for urban households (29%). However, the rate of fuel poverty for households in remote small towns (47%) is higher than all other areas except remote rural households (38%) which have a statistically similar rate.
The rate of fuel poverty among households using electricity as primary heating fuel was 42%, higher than households using gas (27%), oil (23%), and other heating fuels (26%) as their primary heating fuel. This reflects the higher per unit cost of electricity relative to gas, and oil.
A higher proportion of households in the 15% most deprived areas were in fuel poverty compared to other areas of Scotland; 41% compared to 26% respectively.
A higher proportion of households with a pre-payment meter (PPM; electricity, gas or both) were in fuel poverty compared to those without a PPM; 39% compared to 27% respectively.
Data Source: Table FP9 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
Notes: [note 1] [note 2] [note 7]
3.6 Characteristics of Extreme Fuel Poor Households
3.6.1 Household Characteristics
Figure 3.8 shows extreme fuel poverty rates by a number of household characteristics.
Households earning under £15,000 had the highest rates of extreme fuel poverty (74%).
Figure 3.8: Extreme Fuel Poverty Rates by Household Characteristics 2024.
Description of Figure 3.8
Overall rates of extreme fuel poverty were higher in the social sector (22%) than in the private sector (11%).
As with fuel poverty overall, extreme fuel poverty has a strong association with income. Households in the lowest income band (<£15,000 annually) have the highest rate of extreme fuel poverty (74%) dropping to 1% for households in the £35,000 - £44,999 annual income band.
Similar to income, the highest rates of extreme fuel poverty are seen in the lowest council tax bands with band A having an extreme fuel poverty rate of 21%. By comparison households in council tax band F have a rate of 13%.
Families have a lower rate of extreme fuel poverty (9%) than both older households (16%) and other households (15%).
Data Source: Table FP10 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’
3.6.1 Dwelling Characteristics
Figure 3.9 shows how the level of extreme fuel poverty varies across dwelling characteristics.
Dwellings in rural areas had higher rates of extreme fuel poverty (17%) than urban areas.
Figure 3.9: Extreme Fuel Poverty by Dwelling Characteristics 2024.
Description of Figure 3.9
Levels of extreme fuel poverty among households using electricity as their primary heating fuel were higher, at 33%, than households using oil (13%), gas (12%), or other fuels (16%) as their primary heating fuel.
The lowest rates of extreme fuel poverty are associated with higher energy efficiency standards. Only 10% of households living in dwellings rated EPC C or better were in extreme fuel poverty, compared to 16% for dwellings in band D, 27% for dwellings in band E and 23% in bands F-G.
Levels of extreme fuel poverty were higher in rural areas (17%) compared to urban areas (13%) in 2024.
Rates of extreme fuel poverty were higher in properties off the gas grid (23%) compared to dwellings on the gas grid (13%).
Data Source: Table FP11 in ‘SHCS 2024 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
Notes: [note 1] [note 2] [note 7]
3.7 Fuel Poverty and Income Poverty
Although fuel poverty is correlated with low income, it is not equivalent to income poverty. This section provides an analysis of how fuel poverty and income poverty relate in the household population.
According to the official poverty definition, individuals are considered to be in relative (income) poverty if their equivalised net household income is below 60 per cent of the UK median income in the same year. Official poverty estimates are calculated using the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Family Resources Survey (FRS). The latest estimates for Scotland were published on 27 March 2025 and relate to 2023/24.
It is possible to use the SHCS to determine how fuel poverty and income poverty relate. The main caveat to note is that the SHCS is not designed to capture income as comprehensively as other formal surveys of income, e.g. the FRS. Household income is collected in the SHS on a self-reported basis. Therefore, figures in this section may not align with National Statistics on household income and inequality.
A further caveat is that the latest published income poverty estimates relate to 2023/24. In order to derive a poverty threshold figure for 2024 we use the relationship between the SHCS and the FRS estimates of the median equivalised household income for the previous year, 2023. We adjust the 2024 SHCS median by the ratio between the two estimates observed in 2023 to obtain a 2024 poverty threshold. We estimate this as £385 per week after housing costs (AHC) for a couple without children, while the actual FRS 2023/24 poverty threshold is £337.
As Table 3.7a shows, over three quarters of fuel poor households would be considered poor in terms of their income (78% or 570,000) while around one quarter have incomes above the relative poverty threshold (22% or 162,000 households).
Table 3.7b shows the fuel poverty rate by income poverty status. In 2024 89% of income poor households were fuel poor.
The majority of fuel poor households (78%) are also in income poverty.
In 2024, 89% of income poor households are also fuel poor.
|
Income Poverty Status |
Fuel Poverty |
Sample size |
|---|---|---|
|
Income Poor |
89% |
700 |
|
Not Income Poor |
9% |
2,134 |
|
All |
28.7% |
2,834 |
The majority of income poor households are in fuel poverty
Figure 3.10: Fuel Poor and Income Poor Households, SHCS 2024.
Description of Figure 3.10
Figure 3.10 is a Venn diagram which sets out this information graphically. As shown in the diagram the majority of fuel poor households (570,000) are also in income poverty. Conversely, 162,000 households are estimated to be fuel poor only (and not income poor), and 72,000 households are estimated to be income poor but not fuel poor.
This chart demonstrates, that while low income is associated with fuel poverty, it is not equivalent. Around 22% of fuel poor households (162,000 households) would not be considered income poor. Similarly, 11% of income poor households (72,000 households) would not be considered fuel poor.
Data Source: Table FP12 in ‘SHCS 2023 - Chapter 03 Fuel Poverty - tables and figures’.
Table 3.8 provides further information about the characteristics of the households who fall into the different sub-groups.
Households that are both income poor and fuel poor tend to live in more energy efficient dwellings than other fuel poor households, potentially because of high energy efficiency standards in the social rented sector. They are more likely to use gas for heating, live on the gas grid and live in urban locations compared to other fuel poor households. These characteristics point to low income as a key reason for their experience of fuel poverty.
Conversely, households who are not income poor but experience fuel poverty have a higher likelihood of living in low energy efficiency properties, using electricity for heating, and living in rural areas compared to fuel poor and income poor households.
Households that are both income poor and fuel poor tend to live in more energy efficient dwellings than other fuel poor households.
[1] A minor error was identified in the method used to apply RRRSTI uplifts as part of the fuel poverty calculation for 2023. This affected the overall fuel poverty rate for the year and has been revised in this publication. The correction reduces the 2023 fuel poverty rate by less than 0.1 percentage points However, all differences reported in the 2023 publication remain statistically significant. Additionally, the extreme fuel poverty rate was unaffected. See section 1.5.4 of the methodology notes for further details.
[2] This includes amounts received for: Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and Attendance Allowance (AA).
[3]The range in MIS budgets reflects different numbers of, and ages of children in households.
[5] MIS budgets are updated annually based on a public consultation where groups are asked to identify goods and services that people need inside and outside the home to meet an acceptable living standard. New research is conducted yearly alternating between households without children and households with children. For a complete description of the MIS methodology see section 1 and 2 of the full report A Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom.
[6] For a full description of methodological improvements for fuel poverty see Section 1.5.1 of the Methodology notes.
[7] Annual consumption from 2012 to 2019 is calculated based on households being placed on one of the two heating regimes as defined in Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy)(Scotland) Act 2019 while estimates from 2022 reflect households being placed on one of the four heating regimes defined in The Fuel Poverty (Enhanced Heating) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.
[8] The sequence of steps in this method affects the size of the estimated impact. Where factors operate in the same direction any potential joined effect will be attributed to those assessed first.
[9] The use of fuel in a household impacts on a household's lived experience of fuel poverty, but does not affect the measurement of fuel poverty which considers the energy required to meet a the households statutory heating regime as set out in section 3.1, not the actual amount of energy used.
[10] Other households are specifically those all other households with adult residents (of any age) and no children. See section 2.2 of the Methodology Notes.