SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands Emma Roddick is urging folk living in island communities to take advantage of government support in the face of rising energy costs. 

As of December 2023, the fuel poverty rate in Orkney and Shetland was 31%, significantly higher than the Scottish average of 24%. This is despite the Northern Isles being rich in renewable energy potential, with several significant local developments in recent years. 

The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Grant and Loan Scheme offers an uplift of £1,500 in grant funding for energy efficiency measures in rural and island areas. Additionally, through area-based schemes, the Scottish Government provides extra funding to address the increased cost of improvements that are often incurred in such communities. Households living in extreme fuel poverty in these areas can benefit from insulation improvements worth up to £21,100. 

The Warmer Homes Scotland scheme also ensures equal access to grant-funded energy efficiency improvements, including for rural and island areas, through its national customer price model.

Commenting, Emma said: 

“It remains a scandal that anyone should have to live in fuel poverty in a country as energy rich as Scotland. It’s especially unjustifiable for our island communities, which are bursting with renewable energy potential and folk working tirelessly to unlock its benefits, to experience such high levels of fuel poverty.

“With energy costs continuing to rise, the SNP Scottish Government is doing what it can, within the constraints of devolution, to offer tailored support schemes for rural and island communities facing the brunt of these challenges. I will continue to raise these challenges to ensure communities have access to the support they need, and I stand ready to help any constituent who would like advice or signposting to the help that’s out there. 

“However, it is clear that only with the full powers of an independent country can we build a fairer energy policy – one that doesn’t penalise communities for living far out from London or Edinburgh, but instead rewards them for their commitment to hosting clean energy development.”