Almost a quarter of Scots households face stark ‘heating or eating’ choice

ALMOST a quarter of Scottish households are having to choose between heating and eating this winter, with new research claiming people are turning off their energy supplies because they cannot afford their bills.

Some 613,000 households in Scotland live in fuel poverty, social enterprise The Wise Group said.

And there has been a 139 per cent increase in customers seeking debt relief support but only a 41% rise in suppliers agreeing to write off money owed.

Sean Duffy, chief executive of The Wise Group, said: “Almost a quarter of Scots live in fuel poverty. Vulnerable people are choosing to self-disconnect their energy supply to save money, and, as the temperatures drop, the decision to choose between eating and heating becomes increasingly stark.

“We have seen increasing numbers choosing to disconnect their energy supply, or at risk of self-disconnection for a variety of reasons. These households are hidden from the traditional ‘in debt’ description of the ‘vulnerable customer’ because they have chosen to disconnect.”

The Lights Off To Lights On report by the social enterprise also found a 185% jump in people seeking energy advice from the group during the Covid-19 pandemic, while more than a quarter of its customers have also admitted to rationing and self-disconnecting.

The report looked at responses from The Wise Group’s customers in the Greater Glasgow and Tyne and Wear areas.

“Behind these shocking figures are real stories of people wrapped in a duvet all day to keep warm, scared of sending their kids to school smelling of damp, unable to boil the kettle or cook their dinner, terrified of the next energy bill,” Mr Duffy added.

“Sadly, many communities in Glasgow, and across Scotland and the North East of England, are already leading the way in energy reduction – as they are simply unable to afford it.”