With the average annual energy bill now double what it was in 2004, more and more people in Scotland are struggling to meet the costs of heating their homes. 

One third of Scots are now living in fuel poverty, and CAB advisers regularly report that people who come to them for financial advice are having to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table. We believe that’s not a choice anyone should have to make in 21st-century Scotland, and yet for one in three of our citizens it is the reality. 

We have been very pleased to have been involved in the Fuel Poverty Forum, and to have had the chance to speak up for those consumers. We believe the forum’s recommendations offer some positive and realistic steps which – if implemented – really will cut energy bills for domestic customers. 

So we very much welcome the report and look forward to seeing government and energy companies acting on these initiatives quickly. 

These are practical and achievable steps which will make a real difference to many people. This is just the sort of concerted action that is needed to reduce household energy bills.