Giving the Scottish Government more powers to manage Scotland's
energy resources would help households and businesses facing
higher bills, First Minister has said.
From today (Wednesday), Ofgem's energy price cap will go up, on
average, by £18.40 per month to £1,862 per year, equal to a 13%
increase in annual fuel bills for a typical dual fuel household.
The change reflects higher fuel costs caused by the conflict in
the Middle East.
The Scottish Government estimates there would be around 800,000
fuel poor households in Scotland between July and September this
year. That is 31% of all households and an increase of around
110,000 households from estimates for April to June.
The First Minister said:
I know the prospect of further energy bill increases will be
causing anxiety for many people who are already struggling with
the cost of living. The Scottish Government has a number of
measures in place to help, including support for those in crisis
through the Scottish Welfare Fund and the Scottish Emergency
Heating Oil Scheme. I would encourage anyone who needs help to
check if they are eligible for support.
Just two years ago, the UK Government came to power promising to
cut people's bills by £300, yet they are soaring higher and
higher. It is simply not good enough.
It does not need to be like this. Scotland is an energy rich
country, so nobody should be struggling to pay their bills if the
UK government was serious about devolving more power away from
Westminster they would finally put control of Scotland's energy
resources in Scotland's hands.
Our future lies in clean, affordable and secure power
strengthening affordability, resilience and competitiveness, and
protecting people and businesses from their energy bills being
dictated by international events. That is why powers over
Scotland's energy must be in Scotland's hands, so we can make our
vast energy wealth work for us and bring down bills.
Background
Fuel Poverty Scenario Modelling
based on Ofgem Energy Price Caps up to July to September 2026 -
gov.scot
Payments, grants and discounts
to help with energy bills - mygov.scot
