Higher energy bills to heat homes in the Highlands is an 'ongoing injustice', says Green MSP Ariane Burgess as Inverness Courier launches campaign calling for end to fuel poverty
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Higher energy bills faced by Highland residents for heating their homes at the same time clean energy is produced on their doorsteps has been described as an "ongoing injustice" by Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess.
Ms Burgess joined the chorus of concerns about the growing numbers of people facing fuel poverty this winter.
With the Highlands already one of Scotland's worst-affected regions with 33 per cent of all households living in fuel poverty and 22 per cent in extreme fuel poverty, the Courier has launched its End the Chill campaign.
Ms Burgess said she was very concerned about this winter.
"There is clearly a crisis in energy providers with many going bust and wholesale energy price hikes being passed on to customers," said the Highlands and Islands MSP.
"The UK Government has exacerbated this by ending the furlough scheme when the pandemic simply isn’t over and cutting universal credit.
"This means that the costs of fuel are going up at the same time as household incomes for the most vulnerable are going down."
She called for a range of measures to tackle the issue.
"In the very short term, the UK government needs to take action to help people suffering in fuel poverty whether this giving funding directly to people or working with energy companies to reduce bills," she said.
"In the medium term, the Scottish Government should be ensuring that retrofitting is prioritised in the Highlands and Islands where people suffer more, from both fuel poverty generally, and extreme fuel poverty.
"The type of retrofitting should be suitable to the weather conditions and not cause more problems with mould and condensation. "Consideration must also be given to investing more in bringing older properties and those not connected to the grid up to standard in a more holistic way and exploring interim solutions to keep people warm whilst these can be rolled out."
She continued: "In the long term, just transition to renewable energy must happen to ensure that people aren’t left at the mercy of energy companies and fluctuating fossil fuel markets."
She maintained the national grid needed to be upgraded and reformed to support renewables and ensure community energy projects were supported and able to expand.
"At the moment for household energy bills people pay more for electricity than gas," she said.
"This is a holdover from when electricity was generated by coal-fired power plants in the central belt and near large population centres.
"However, now the Highlands and Islands are a powerhouse of renewable energy to the rest of Scotland.
"It is an ongoing injustice that people in the region have to pay higher amounts to heat their homes when clean energy is produced en masse on their doorsteps."
Ms Burgess pointed out that energy was a reserved matter.
"If we had the power, we could reform our national grid which would immediately and considerably reduce peoples electricity bills," she said.
"Ultimately, green energy can and will reduce energy costs but we need the UK Government to stop subsidising fossil fuels and invest in renewables as a matter of haste.
"We also need to make sure that expansion of renewables is done in partnership with Highland and Island communities and that they should see a direct benefit from local renewables projects in their energy bills."
Asked about air source pumps which are seen as a low-carbon heating option but also expensive to install, Ms Burgess replied: "Air source heat pumps are very effective in houses that are properly insulated but installing them before houses are retrofitted with insulation simply won’t be effective.
"That’s why part of the Greens £1.8 billion investment in low carbon buildings is about improving efficiency and insulation, too."
Heating costs set to hit more elderly people this winter
