The Scottish Housing Condition Survey (SHCS) 2024, the first release of the latest national dataset, shows improvements in fuel poverty and energy efficiency, though concerns remain around disrepair and compliance with safety standards across the country’s housing stock.

An estimated 28.7% of households (around 732,000) were living in fuel poverty in 2024, down from 33.9% (859,000 households) the previous year. This represents a reduction of 127,000 households, driven largely by a 23.3% fall in average fuel prices over the year.

Extreme fuel poverty also fell markedly. In 2024, 14% of households (357,000) were in extreme fuel poverty, compared with 19.4% (491,000) in 2023, a drop of 134,000 households.

Despite the improvement, more than one in four households in Scotland still struggle to afford adequate heating.

Energy efficiency ratings remained broadly stable year‑on‑year. Under the current SAP 2012 methodology, 56% of homes were rated EPC band C or better, similar to 2023.

Long-term progress is more pronounced. Using SAP 2009, which allows comparison back to 2010, 62% of dwellings now achieve band C or above—an increase of 38 percentage points over 14 years. The proportion of homes in the lowest EPC bands (E, F or G) has fallen from 27% in 2010 to just 8% in 2024.

The survey highlights ongoing challenges around housing condition. In 2024, 28% of dwellings failed the tolerable standard, similar to the previous year.

The most common reason for failure was inadequate fire detection and warning systems, affecting 532,000 homes (76%). A further 55% (383,000 homes) failed due to insufficient carbon monoxide detection.

While failures relating to smoke alarms fell by around five percentage points compared with 2023, carbon monoxide detection rates showed little improvement.

The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) failure rate in the social sector stood at 41%, continuing a long-term improvement from 60% in 2010. Energy efficiency remains the biggest driver of non-compliance, with 25% of social homes failing the Energy Efficient criterion in 2024.

Disrepair to critical elements, those essential for weather-tightness, structural stability and preventing deterioration, affected 48% of dwellings, up from 45% in 2023.

Of these, 19% of all homes had urgent disrepair, while 2% had extensive disrepair affecting at least a fifth of the element area.

Lori McElroy, chair of the Existing Homes Alliance, said: “Fuel poverty in Scotland remains concerningly high, with around one in three households still struggling to afford to heat their homes. Cold homes are a public health issue - we know that not being able to heat your home properly can cause damp and mould, and research shows that hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions reduce in well-insulated homes.

“As the Scottish Parliament considers new regulations introducing Awaab’s Law to tackle damp and mould in Scotland, it must be recognised that fuel poverty is the main driver for a significant proportion of cases.

“Upgrading home energy efficiency with measures such as insulation should be viewed as a preventative health intervention. We already have fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes, such as Warmer Homes Scotland and the Area-based Schemes, that are delivering great results, making homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat. But Scotland has the power to do more.

“We are calling for the next Scottish Government to commit to tackling fuel poverty and cold homes, and to grow these programmes to match the size of the challenge.

“Expanding the programmes would also offer a much-needed pipeline of work for Scottish energy efficiency businesses - helping to plug the gap left by the UK Government’s decision to axe its ECO4 programme.

“Scaling what works would cut fuel poverty, protect households most at risk, support jobs and skills, and build the foundations for warm, healthy homes that are affordable for all.”

Debbie Horne, Scotland policy and public affairs manager at Independent Age, said: “These statistics show that 280,000 (30% of) older households were living in fuel poverty in Scotland in 2024, with a shocking 152,000 (16%) in extreme fuel poverty. 

“On top of this, half (50%) of older households live in a home which has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D or below, meaning they have poor energy efficiency and are more expensive to heat. Cold homes are bad for both mental and physical health, and in older age can exacerbate long term health conditions or lead to an increased risk of falls. 

“While there has been a welcome reduction in the number in fuel poverty, the overall picture remains concerning and means urgent action is required in the next Scottish Parliament to avoid missing Scotland’s 2030 legally binding fuel poverty targets. 

“Political parties in Scotland should introduce and implement a large-scale Warm Homes Programme for older people. To reduce energy costs, this should provide targeted advice and financial support to improve energy efficiency in homes for all pensioners at risk of fuel poverty. The UK Government must also act. Fuel poverty in older households is an issue across the UK and the UK Government should increase the value of the Warm Home Discount and introduce a comprehensive energy social tariff to reduce costs.  

“We should all have the right to a warm and safe home as we age. Without action, too many older people in Scotland will be left in the cold.”