MORE that a fifth of people north of the border are “worried or anxious” about energy debt this winter, according to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).
The charity has warned that more than 360,000 of Scotland’s people — 22 per cent of the adult population — live in fear of falling into debt as the cost of heating their homes rises due to the withdrawal of government subsidies and the Ofgem price cap being lifted.
The charity has seen a 34 per cent increase in people asking for advice on energy debt in the last 12 months, while the average energy debt of those seeking help has jumped by almost £500 to £2,307.
A disabled man requested advice from his local Citizens Advice branch because he had built up £2,000 of debt to his energy supplier after a reduction in his universal credit payments left struggling to cover everyday expenses.
Another woman came to the charity after receiving a letter from her energy supplier advising her that she was in arrears for the first time in her life, which led to experience suicidal thoughts.
After last year’s cut in government subsidies and the raising of the energy price cap, CAS has urged anyone struggling to cope to seek advice sooner rather than later.
Social justice spokesman Matthew Lee said: “This winter comes amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in living memory and lots of people, through no fault of their own, have found themselves behind on bills.
“That’s because costs for essentials rose sharply as incomes flatlined.
“There are three big reasons why it’s totally understandable to be worried about that debt.
“Firstly, repayments add an extra charge onto your bills; secondly, the risk of being forced onto a prepayment meter increases; and, thirdly, it stops you switching supplier should we ever be in a position where cheaper deals through switching returns to the market.”
Fuel Poverty Action’s Lucia Harrington said: “It is no surprise that so many people are worried about energy debt this winter when energy bills are still over double what they were in 2021.
“At Fuel Poverty Action, we continue to fight against this through our Energy For All campaign; this also demands that everyone should be entitled to free essential energy paid for by taxation on the fossil fuel industry and higher tariffs on luxury use.”
