More than 380,000 Scots say hard-to-heat homes are reason for sky high bills

One in three Scots are already finding their energy bills unaffordable, a poll has found, just weeks ahead of an announcement which could see rates soar by as much as half.

Some 36% of people in the country say their energy bills are unaffordable, a survey for Citizens Advice Scotland (Cas) by YouGov found, and pollsters said more than 380,000 people put the blame on their hard-to-heat homes.

Kate Morrison, the charity’s fair markets spokeswoman, said: “With one in three people finding their energy bills unaffordable, lots of us are struggling with soaring bills.

“But it’s significant that hundreds of thousands of people would identify their home being hard to heat as a reason why they are finding bills unaffordable.”

Rate payers across the country are facing soaring bills, with the energy price cap expected to rise in April. An announcement on the new level of the cap is expected early next month, with fears bills could go up by as much as 50%.

Ms Morrison urged people to contact the service if they are struggling, and said as part of its Big Energy Saving Winter campaign “people don’t need to feel powerless about rising energy bills”, and added that the bureau would give advice about how to increase income and look at options of how to insulate homes.

“The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use – better insulated homes mean people don’t have to pay as much,” she said.

“It’ll also help us on the journey to net-zero, as better insulated homes means lower emissions.”

As the rising cost of living climbs up the political agenda, UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwartang said on Friday he is listening to poverty campaigners on energy costs.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that households will have to wait until the Spring Statement in March to find out whether a reported scheme to hand out one-off £500 payments to help with bills will come to fruition.

But he said the Government is “trying to work out the best way to deal with what is a really, really serious problem”.

He added: “Lots and lots of things have been discussed, and I’m sure that’s one of the things that we’ve been talking about.”

Earlier this month the Scottish Government called for urgent action to reduce energy bills, including cutting VAT.

Ministers in Edinburgh wrote to the Business Secretary and called for four-nation discussions ahead of the expected price cap rise.