Latest news with #DavidEiser
The National
22-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Almost 400k households in arrears as energy debt rises in Scotland
An estimated 383,000 households in Scotland are facing energy debt or arrears. The Consumer Scotland Energy Tracker also showed that the proportion of consumers who said they were put on a prepayment meter due to their debts more than doubled in the past year, from 16% to 34%. The increase comes as Ofgem prepares to announce a new energy cap on Friday, which is predicted to fall. Consumer Scotland director of research and analysis David Eiser said: "Challenges remain acute for some groups, and there are ongoing legacies in terms of energy debt and anxiety for consumers. In the short term, this underlines the need for further energy bill support targeted at those consumers who need it most. 'Ofgem's proposals to provide relief to customers who accumulated energy debt during the crisis period are welcome. We also want the UK and Scottish governments to provide more targeted affordability support for consumers that need it the most as quickly as practical." Despite the increase in people experiencing debt, consumers are finding it easier to keep up with their energy bills, compared to during the peak of the cost of living crisis in 2022 and 2023. Ofgem is also working on a proposed Debt Relief Scheme to aid those struggling most with costs, which include those with disabilities, health conditions and households with children under five.
Daily Record
22-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
More Scots struggling with energy bills as number of households in debt hits 400,000
A third of people said they could not heat their home to a comfortable level because of worries about the cost. Rising numbers of Scots are still struggling with energy bills as the number of households in debt has hit 400,000. It comes as bills are set to fall from this July and will continue to drop in the autumn and winter. The bill of a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will fall by £129 a year, a drop of nearly seven per cent. But the latest Consumer Scotland Energy Tracker found 15 per cent of respondents to a survey said they are in energy debt or arrears – the equivalent of 383,000 households. The overall number of households in debt is up from nine per cent last year. The survey, which was carried out in January and February 2025, also found the proportion of consumers who said they had been put on a prepayment meter due to debts had more than doubled in 12 months. A third of people said they could not heat their home to a comfortable level because of worries about the cost – with this level said to be similar to the previous year. And 64 per cent said they had had to cut back on spending in other areas to help afford energy bills – with this also similar to last year. The latest findings of the tracker, set up by Consumer Scotland to monitor public perceptions on energy costs, were released ahead of Friday's announcement of the energy price cap. It is expected regulator Ofgem will lower the cap, which sets a maximum price for energy bills on standard variable tariffs. Despite the increasing numbers of Scots in debt, the research indicates people are finding it easier to keep up with their energy bills than was the case during the peak of the cost-of-living crisis in 2022 and 2023. The latest survey found 16% of respondents – the equivalent to 393,000 households – said it is difficult to keep up with energy bills, down from 26% in 2024 and 35% in the winter of 2022 to 2023. Consumer Scotland director of research and analysis David Eiser said: 'Affordability of energy bills has improved since the peak of the cost-of-living crisis, but challenges remain acute for some groups, and there are ongoing legacies in terms of energy debt and anxiety for consumers.' He said this 'underlines the need for further energy bill support targeted at those consumers who need it most'. Mr Eiser said the Scottish and UK governments should 'provide more targeted affordability support for consumers that need it the most as quickly as practical'. He added: 'As well as reforms to affordability support, a number of broader changes are under way in the energy retail market. 'These include a growing number of tariffs that provide opportunities for consumers to reduce their bills by varying when or how they use energy.'
Daily Record
23-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Dodgy goods and confusing bills costing Scots £4bn a year
Industry watchdogs have warned the public about inferior goods and services costing them huge amounts of money. Dodgy goods and services cost Scottish consumers around £4billion last year according to a shocking new report by industry watchdogs. Unreliable broadband, confusing electricity and gas bills, late or cancelled trains and problems with online shopping are some of the everyday problems leading to the massive financial hit. Consumer Scotland has said 70 per cent of people report problems with each incident leading to a loss averaging around £30. Its report concluded that ' consumer detriment ' was worst in the second hand car market, with issues also causing people endless stress and taking up huge amounts of time. Director of Research and Analysis David Eiser said: 'The survey is important in helping to highlight the scale and nature of detriment in Scotland, as well as the UK. 'The findings demonstrate that detriment remains both pervasive and persistent with high levels of consumers experiencing consumer harms at a cost to their health, wellbeing and finances. 'The survey also found that consumers in vulnerable circumstances are more likely to both experience detriment and to not seek redress when things go wrong. 'It is vital consumer organisations are aware of the changing nature of consumer detriment to allow them to provide support where detriment is high, as well as identifying and advocating for solutions.' Around seven in ten consumers in Scotland experienced at least one incident of harm with almost 20 million incidents in Scotland The total annual net cost to consumers in Scotland of this harm is estimated to be up to £4 billion. The highest rates of harm are experienced by consumers who engage in the second-hand vehicle market, followed by childcare, public transport, internet services and electricity and gas. In addition to financial costs consumers can suffer emotionally with approximately half of detriment incidents in Scotland associated with a negative impact on mental health with consumers feeling anxious, helpless and upset. Consumer Scotland said people frequently take action to rectify detriment, but amongst those who do around half result in either no financial compensation or less than what was requested. The agency last year launched an investigation into companies selling domestic green energy systems like heat pumps to identify areas where consumers may be vulnerable to misleading or unfair practices. Chief Officer at Trading Standards Scotland, Fiona Richardson, welcomed the probe and said: 'Although the transition to decarbonised and energy-efficient homes promises significant benefits we must combat scams, product mis-selling, and rogue trading in the sector.'
