New research suggests that more than half of people living in Scotland are spending their time at home in the cold and dark for fear of rising household bills during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The report found that rising costs and increasing mortgage rates are worrying all age categories across the nation. But the energy crisis is the most common concern with 55 per cent of respondents worried about the impact on household bills. A report by the Home Buyers’ Federation showed that consumers living in a new build house could save on average £3,100 a year on their energy bills, compared to a similar Victorian home. Around 84 per cent of new builds have an energy efficiency rating of A or B, compared to just four per cent of existing housing in the UK.
While consumers craved additional indoor and outdoor space during Covid, extra space is now seen as a luxury, with 35 per cent of people saying that they would be willing to cut down on their preferred number of bedrooms to get on to the property ladder. Over a third said they would sacrifice having a garden.
The survey of people living in Scotland forms part of a wider report from the homebuilder which looked at how life at home is changing in the face of the crisis. Others are turning-off radiators in under-used rooms , buying draught excluders for the bottom of doors and also, putting up heavy curtains over doors and windows .
When I was a lad in Scotland we had only one source of heating in the living room which just went on in the evening. No double glazing and no insulation. We also made toast on a big fork held in front of the fire while our faces & legs went red.