Fuel poverty

With increasing fuel prices, we also see rising fuel poverty which is defined as needing to spend more than 10% income on fuel.  Now fuel prices regardless of source are set to continue to rise and the rate of rise is likely to be faster than any rise in income.

We have to move to having better insulated homes that require minimal heating.    Aberdeenshire has been given £170,000 to bring 20 houses up to the 2016 building standards. That works out at £8,500 a home.  That is a start but with over 100,000 houses in Aberdeenshire it is a drop in an ocean. We know what needs to be done - there is oodles of advice out there.

The problem is up front cost versus cost reduction later.  We need a scheme where homes can be upgraded and the reduction in fuel costs is shared between paying back the cost and providing benefit to the household.

There is a win win win available.

• We can remove fuel poverty.
• We can reduce CO2 emissions.
• And we can have more comfortable homes.

When are we going to stop having "pilot" and "demonstrator" schemes and actually put in place something that will actually make an impact!