Scottish households adding to £140million to bills each year through energy inefficiency 9 April Scottish households are adding more than £140million to fuel bills every year because of energy inefficiency and poor or inconsistent insulation, The Home Heat Helpline has reported today. Around 17% of Scotland’s 2.4million homes have poor wall insulation costing each bill payer an additional £145 every year, while 35% of homes have inconsistent wall insulation that pushes bills up by an average of £100. According to the helpline, vulnerable households in Scotland are being most affected by higher energy cost due to poor insulation and they have urged them to call the freephone helpline service (0800 33 66 99) for advice on energy efficiency and access to grants from the Government and energy suppliers for home insulation. The Home Heat Helpline figures are based on a survey of more than 22,000 homes throughout Scotland conducted by Dundee-based Infrared Thermographic (IRT) Surveys. IRT Surveys has analysed infrared images of the buildings across Scotland, calculating energy loss and financial cost based on up-to-date energy prices. The findings show that over 400,000 homes in Scotland are poorly insulated and more than 840,000 have inconsistent insulation where patches are missing in areas greater than 1 metre square. The figures are in line with those produced by the Energy Savings Trust (EST), a Government-backed non-profit organisation which estimates that insulation of cavity walls can return savings of between £130 and £160 per year. The EST also estimates that the average UK household can save up to £220 per year through loft insulation and reduce their annual CO2 emissions by around 1.5 tonnes. Duncan Sedgwick, Chief Executive of the Energy Retail Association said: “While the worst of the winter weather may be behind us, these figures highlight the fact that inadequate insulation has a major financial implication. It tends to be lower income families, disabled and elderly people that are worst hit by these additional energy costs that are incurred due to lack of home insulation. “Effective home insulation makes both financial and environmental sense and I would urge anyone who is concerned about the high cost of their fuel bills to take proactive action now and review their home insulation this spring. For those who are concerned about the cost of doing this, they can contact The Home Heat Helpline, free of charge on (0800 33 66 99) where they will get practical guidance and advice on how to access grants to insulate their home.” Stewart Little, Managing Director of IRT Surveys, added: “We were able to provide these figures by analysing infrared images of more than 22,000 houses which we have surveyed throughout Scotland. “Our infrared cameras capture energy in a full colour photograph which will clearly identify gaps in insulation, porous brickwork, CO2 emissions, and pinpoint areas of heat loss, as well as the associated energy usage, and financial impact.” The Home Heat Helpline is the only service for all Scottish customers who have difficulties with heating their homes or paying for their energy bills no matter who their energy supplier is. More than 50,000 people have called the Home Heat Helpline so far. Staffed by expert advisors, including former health professionals, the Helpline provides practical advice on how to save money on fuel bills and stay warm during cold weather. Helpline advisors can offer advice on benefits and grants such as winter fuel payments for older people, as well as inclusion on Priority Service Registers (PSR’s) for the elderly and disabled, and tips and hints on saving energy. The Helpline can also take calls from intermediaries calling on behalf of vulnerable people, such as friends, family, carers, social workers or health visitors. Ends Notes to Editors Issued on behalf of the Home Heat Helpline by The Big Partnership. For further information please contact: Bill Shaw or Anna Gormley at The Big Partnership on 0131 558 3111. Mobiles: 07974 720 669 (Bill) Home Heat Helpline contact: 1. The IRT figures are conservative as they are based on surveys of the average Scottish home, and do not take into account houses without any insulation and larger properties which would generate higher levels of heat and energy loss. 2. The Home Heat Helpline (0800 33 66 99) operates from Monday to Friday 9am-8pm and from 10am-2pm on Saturday. There is a free minicom number for deaf users (0800 027 2122), and the Helpline also has access to interpreters for those callers whose first language is not English. www.homeheathelpline.org 3. The Helpline is operated by The essentiagroup and is staffed by expert advisers, including former health professionals, who are trained to give advice on how to stay warm during the cold weather. They are also trained and authorised to deal with intermediaries calling on behalf of vulnerable customers, such as friends, carers, social workers or health visitors 4. The Energy Retail Association was established in October 2003 and is the only dedicated trade association for domestic energy suppliers in the UK. More information can be found at www.energy-retail.org.uk 5. The Home Heat Helpline, launched in October 2005, is a free service for all British citizens and is funded by Britain’s six major energy suppliers. It is the only telephone helpline service that aims to tackle fuel poverty. The energy suppliers spent £300 million between 2002 – 2005 on tackling fuel poverty and have committed to spend a further £700 million over the next 3 years on this important issue.
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