A call has been made for urgent action to support households relying on off grid heating after sharp increases in heating oil prices across rural parts of Scotland.
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey MP Graham Leadbitter said the UK Government must introduce a bespoke support package for homes that are not connected to the gas grid.
The appeal comes as heating oil costs have risen sharply amid the ongoing cost of living pressures and global energy market uncertainty linked to the war in Iran.
In some cases the price of heating oil has more than doubled for households that rely on it for home heating.
Around 1.5 million homes across the United Kingdom are not connected to the gas grid and are therefore not protected by the Energy Price Cap.
Rural areas in the north of Scotland are among the most affected by the issue.
Figures from the House of Commons Library suggest that around 31 percent of homes in Moray and 62 percent of homes in the Highland Council area are not connected to the gas grid.
Many of these households already face significantly higher heating costs compared with homes connected to the mains gas network.
Data also shows that 27 percent of off grid households are classed as being in extreme fuel poverty.
That compares with around 18 percent of households connected to the main energy grid.
Mr Leadbitter said rural communities have been particularly exposed to rising fuel costs.
“Off-grid homes have been particularly vulnerable to rising energy bills for years and Westminster has done nothing to support them through a cost of living crisis largely of its own making.
“They need a bespoke solution, delivered urgently by the UK government, to keep costs down.
“London may be experiencing the beginning of Spring but snow is still falling on parts of my constituency which is already home to some of the highest levels of fuel poverty, and the highest energy bills, anywhere in the UK.
“The Labour government promised to cut energy bills by £300 a year but instead they’re even higher than when Labour took office. Households can’t afford Labour breaking their promise any longer.
“Especially when people in my constituency, and right across Scotland, can see excess energy being produced right on their doorstep.
“We’re being fleeced by a Westminster focused energy regime that treats Scotland as an afterthought.”
Heating oil is widely used across rural Scotland where homes are not connected to the gas grid.
Campaigners have long argued that off grid households need additional protection during periods of rising fuel costs because they are not covered by the same price protections as gas and electricity customers.
The issue has become increasingly prominent during the cost of living crisis as energy prices have fluctuated across global markets.
