A third of people in Scotland struggle to afford their electricity and gas bills. We’re working hard to give them the advice they need to cut their costs and get a good deal. We’re also pushing politicians and energy companies to ensure the energy system works for people.
If you have an energy problem you need help with, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06 or email via our self-help website www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
This page has all the latest news about our work on energy.
7 Nov 2019
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has today welcomed an open letter from Ofgem calling for fairer treatment for customers who are left in debt when energy companies collapse.
21 Oct 2019
Four expert energy advisers are now in post at Citizens Advice Bureaux across the north of Scotland after completing their training with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
14 Oct 2019
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has today warned that the move away from fossil fuels being used to heat homes will be hampered without significant improvements to electric heating options.
Publication date: September 2019
This is CAS’s response to the Call for Evidence on the Annual Energy Statement. We believe that while Scotland is likely to miss its target of achieving 11% of heat demand coming from renewables by 2020, there are actions the Scottish Government can take to ensure that it remains on course for achieving net zero by 2045, including;
› Boosting public buy-in by stepping up practical and financial support for consumers
› Driving technological innovation
› Reducing the cost of renewables
These measures will help to address what CAS believes are the key risks and threats to achieving the 2045 target:
› the initial cost of moving to renewable heat sources
› the lack of public awareness and buy-in to the scale of the change needed
› the quality of installations and access to redress when things go wrong
› the lack of advice and guidance on how to properly use low carbon heating systems to best effect
Publication date: September 2019
CAS welcomes Ofgem’s proposals to improve outcomes for consumers who experience self-disconnection and self-rationing. We have identified a number of priorities:
Publication date: September 2019
This is CAS’s response to the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) Regulations 2019. We welcome mandatory standards of energy efficiency in the private rented sector, provided that:
Publication date: September 2019
CAS has responded to BEIS’ Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme (HBRS) and Common Tariff Obligation (CTO) consultation. Both are subject to a statutory 3-year review and are designed, respectively, to subsidise the cost of electricity distribution in the North of Scotland to avoid disproportionately higher distribution network costs for consumers vs. those charged in the rest of GB; and to prevent domestic suppliers from offering less favorable terms to remote rural and island communities in the North of Scotland than they do to consumers.
The HBRS imposes a levy on every electricity consumer in GB. For a typical dual fuel domestic consumer, this equates to about £1 per annum. To date, however, the additional costs of electricity distribution in the Shetland islands has been fully met by consumers in the North of Scotland. It is proposed that this will change and will instead be distributed throughout GB.
