Energy Minister has called on the UK
Government to act now to help people struggling with their energy
bills ahead of winter.
The energy regulator Ofgem will next week announce the latest
energy price cap for October 2026 to January 2027, with industry
experts predicting the cap will rise again.
Mr Gethins said:
Energy costs are forcing too many families to make difficult
decisions about household budgets. In an energy rich country like
Scotland, that is simply unacceptable.
The UK Government came to office promising to cut people's bills
by £300, yet bills are already more than £250 higher than they
promised and they are going to go up even higher before winter,
with experts predicting that the price cap will rise again.
This needs to be a wake-up call for the new Prime Minister with
Scotland's energy sending hundreds of billions of pounds to the
UK Treasury over the years, a modest £45 saving from cutting VAT
cannot be the extent of his ambition. Households in Scotland
need real support before winter.
The Scottish Government is using our limited powers to invest in
more energy efficient homes, tackle fuel poverty and meet our
ambitious climate change targets and we have already helped
thousands of households save between an estimated £300 and £500 a
year. We are acting wherever we can.
But while full energy powers still sit with the UK Government, it
is Scottish households who are paying the price. Scotland's
energy must be in Scotland's hands so we can bring down bills.
Until that is the case, I am once again urging the UK Government
to match our ambition and act now to help people with their
energy bills.
Background
Predictions & Insights into
the Default Tariff Cap (Price Cap) - Cornwall Insight
The Scottish Government estimated 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.
For those 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, and proposals for
targeted bill discounts show that 660,000 households in Scotland
would see their estimated fuel bills go down by an average of
£700.
