Each year, Age Concern Scotland mounts a public information campaign to raise awareness of the problems facing older people living in fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty is when someone does not have enough money to heat their home properly, and is a combination of low incomes and poor housing. We encourage older people to claim help for insulation and heating, and give hints on keeping warm in winter.
Age Concern Scotland also campaigns for national policy change. After a joint campaign with Shelter Scotland and Friends of the Earth Scotland – the ‘Warm Homes Campaign’ – The Scottish Executive announced a massive investment to provide central heating for the home of every older person who didn’t have any. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 was amended to include a requirement on every local authority to have a strategy to tackle fuel poverty. We continue to raise awareness of the devastating impact of fuel poverty, and campaign for measures to end it.