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Publication date:July 2020Scotland has set some of the most determined climate goals in the world, and home energy efficiency has a large role to play in Scotland’s transition to a low or no carbon society.
The Scottish Government has set ambitious goals for Scotland’s housing stock, which will be measured by a home’s energy efficiency rating as described in an energy performance certificate (EPC). However, consumer knowledge of EPCs is low, and even though they contain recommendations on how to make a home more energy efficient, they seem to be a poor motivational tool.
CAS commissioned Changeworks to gather feedback about how EPCs are viewed, understood, and interacted with by consumers, and how they could be improved to be better understood and more motivational.
Through a combination of ISM workshops and online testing, research found that:
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Many people view energy efficiency as a luxury for those who can afford it
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Barriers to home energy efficiency improvements are essentially cost and hassle
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EPCs are not considered useful, and most homeowners just put them in a drawer
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People who consider themselves highly environmentally conscious are no more likely to know their home energy efficiency rating or be familiar with an EPC than someone who is disengaged with environmental issues (value-intention gap)
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People are mainly motivated by cost, but social desirability plays a large role as well. People may be more motivated by the cost of not acting than potential fuel bill savings, especially if this is linked to Scotland’s carbon targets or the climate emergency
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A 1-2-3 style EPC, designed like a home report, may be easier for consumers to understand and engage with
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Consumers value simplicity and colour, but for many the preferred style and layout was subjective. Energy efficiency advice accompanying an EPC is crucial to ensure consumers understand the document and are able to make the choices most suitable to their property
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Publication date:July 2020
CAS welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Just Transition Commission call for evidence. Meeting Scotland’s climate change targets will require significant buy-in from citizens to move away from high-carbon forms of heating and water/sewerage service provision. CAS is calling for the least resilient households to be protected in this transition, such as those in vulnerable circumstances, or those excluded by the cost of low-carbon technologies.
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Treasury Select Committee inquiryPublication date:June 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomed the creation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS): timely responses which protected incomes and prevented many jobs being lost. There are some gaps in the schemes, together with some misuse or non-use of the CJRS by employers, which have caused detriment to workers.
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Publication date:June 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland gathers information from Citizens Advice Bureaux and our online advice website.
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Publication date:June 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland delivers free, independent, confidential advice and support for patients of the NHS in Scotland through the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS).
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Publication date:June 2020
This submission addresses issues of low pay and employment practices.
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Scottish Commission on Social Security consultationPublication date:June 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the moves to extend Winter Heating Assistance in the challenging context of COVID19 which has resulted in delays to wider measures on disability assistance. We recommend the draft regulations are amended to better meet the policy intention and add clarity in a number of areas.
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Publication date:June 2020
This insight report presents the results of research undertaken by Social Market Research during January-March 2020 on the accessibility of the Post Office network and internet and telecoms market for older and disabled people in Scotland, with analysis and recommendations based on the research findings.
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Publication date:June 2020
Technical details:
• The survey was designed by Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research Ltd
• Results are based on a survey of 1,050 respondents conducted using the ScotPulse online panel.
• Wave 1 fieldwork was conducted between 24th and 27th March 2020 and received 1040 responses,
• Wave 2 fieldwork was conducted between 9th and 12th April 2020 and received 1048 responses,
• Wave 3 fieldwork was conducted between 7th and 18th May 2020 and received 997 responses,
• Results are weighted to the Scottish population by gender and age.Spotlight: -
Publication date:June 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. Above all, we want to ensure that a market framework improves outcomes for heat network consumers. We have been calling for heat network consumers to have access to the same rights and services afforded to customers of the regulated energy market for several years.
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Publication date:May 2020
CAS welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation.
We want to ensure that the Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill delivers the best possible outcomes for heat network consumers, and gives parity with the rights and services afforded to consumers of the regulated energy market. Unfortunately we are aware of instances where heat network consumers have been disadvantaged due to the current unregulated nature of heat networks and are keen that this Bill works towards improving this as much as possible.
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Publication date:May 2020
CAS welcomes the opportunity to feed into the work of the Scottish Government's Advisory Group on Economic Recovery. Central to our view of how to stimulate economic growth post-COVID-19 is the principle of protecting household incomes and helping with the cost of living.
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Publication date:May 2020A report on the activity of the EU Citizens Support Service following its first year in operation.
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Publication date:May 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence on the Bill. The Bill provides an opportunity to make minor amendments to address issues which have been identified since the passage of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, including making provision for the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment. CAS welcomes the Bill and is broadly content with its provisions, although there are a number of areas that the Committee may wish to consider in its scrutiny.
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Publication date:May 2020
CAS welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s proposed measures to provide additional support to non-household organisations impacted by COVID-19. Our response focuses on key principles around stakeholder engagement within the non-household market and on ensuring that measures to support those impacted by COVID-19 are effective for both licenced providers and customers.
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Publication date:April 2020
Technical details:
• The survey was designed by Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research Ltd
• Results are based on a survey of 1,050 respondents conducted using the ScotPulse online panel,
• Fieldwork was conducted between 9th and 12th April 2020
• Results are weighted to the Scottish population by gender and ageSpotlight: -
Publication date:April 2020
This report looks at whether there is detriment in the PTD market.
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Publication date:April 2020
In this report the Financial Health team explores the current state of play in council debt collection across council tax, rent and water debt and presents a charter for change.
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The Citizens Advice Scotland network magazinePublication date:April 2020Issue of 3 of the Citizens Advice network in Scotland magazine
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Publication date:April 2020
Throughout March 2020, the Scottish Citizens Advice network saw substantial changes in the types of advice sought and the ways people accessed that advice as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Stressed About Debt? High costs of energy, food and fuel mean that many people are finding it impossible to keep up, worrying about debt or falling behind on bills. The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is here for you, with free, confidential and impartial advice in a variety of ways.