News / Fuel poverty warning as energy prices rise
SHETLANDERS who are about to be hit with an energy price hike of up to 15 per cent have been reminded that support and advice is available locally.
SSE will increase its cost of electricity by 14.9 per cent from late April, while other providers such as Scottish Power have also confirmed they will up their prices.
This paints an ominous picture for Shetland, which already has a fuel poverty rate of 53 per cent.
However, the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) says help is at hand for anyone who is struggling with their energy costs.
Energy officer Janice Hawick said the price hikes will impact “quite a lot” of people in Shetland as most people use electricity for heating.
However, she said that many locals can’t easily switch supplier or tariff because of SSE’s “monopoly” on total heating or total control meters, which can’t be used with other suppliers and are linked to storage heaters.
SSE said its price increase was partly due to covering the costs of the government-led nationwide installation of smart meters, but Hawick said this doesn’t extend to Shetland as facilities are not in place.
“We are currently working in conjunction with Citizen’s Advice Scotland and the Competition and Markets Authority to let them be aware of the fact that a lot of people are on total heat and total control tariffs in Shetland and can’t switch,” she said.
“One of the things that SSE said was that they were blaming the increases in prices on government policy – that means that customers subsidise energy from renewable sources and the cost of smart meter installation.
“Unfortunately, that is not something that is going happen to Shetland anytime soon. We don’t have the broadband capacity and a new mast would have to be built.”
Hawick has contacted Citizens Advice Scotland to relay concerns that the isles were being “financially penalised” by the smart meter roll-out.
She said there is policy work underway on the plight of rural communities which will be fed to the Scottish Government.
Hawick reiterated that the local CAB offers a range of information on energy costs and usage, but she admitted that it is likely that the rate of fuel poverty in Shetland will increase again in the future.
“You can’t get rid of fuel poverty in one fell swoop. It’s a continuing thing that we all have to look at constantly,” Hawick said.
“But Citizens Advice Bureau is at the forefront of trying to help people understand their energy costs and how they can best deal with them.”
Steven Coutts, who is Home Energy Scotland’s officer for Shetland, added that those who are able to change suppliers should always shop around.
“Switching your energy supplier or changing to a new tariff could save you money on your fuel bills,” he said.
“Call Home Energy Scotland free on 0808 808 2282 if you would like advice from our advisors.”
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