Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings

Executive summary

Fuel Poverty

• In 2023 an estimated 34% (around 861,000 households) of all households were in fuel poverty. This is higher than the 2022 fuel poverty rate of 31% (around 780,000 households).
• 19.4% (or 491,000 of the 861,000 households in fuel poverty) were living in extreme fuel poverty in 2023 which is similar to the 18.5% (465,000 households) in 2022.
• The actual median fuel poverty gap for fuel poor households in 2023 was £1,250. This is similar to the median fuel poverty gap from 2022 of £1,240. 
• The median fuel poverty gap (adjusted for 2015 prices) for fuel poor households in 2023 (£960) is similar to the adjusted gap in 2022 (£1,020).

Proportion of Households in Fuel Poverty and Extreme Fuel Poverty, 2012-2023

Notes: [note 7]

• Overall rates of fuel poverty differed between the social (61%) and private sector (25%). Similarly, households in the social sector were more likely to be in extreme fuel poverty (32%) compared to households in the private sector (15%).
• 52% of households using electricity as their primary heating fuel were fuel poor, higher than households using gas (32%), and oil (26%). But similar to households using other fuel types (49%) as their primary heating fuel.
• A higher proportion of households with a pre-payment meter (PPM; electricity, gas or both) were in fuel poverty compared to those without a PPM; 57% compared to 31% respectively.

• Fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty have a strong association with income, with rates increasing as annual household income decreases. For example, 96% of households with an annual income less than £15,000 were in fuel poverty compared to 58% of households earning between £15,000 and £24,999 annually.
• For both fuel poor and extreme fuel poor households, the lowest rates of fuel poverty are associated with higher energy efficiency standards. 32% of households living in dwellings rated EPC band C or better were fuel poor, compared to 48% living in dwellings in bands F or G.

Heating Satisfaction

• 18% of all households found that their heating keeps them warm enough in winter only sometimes and 6% felt it never keeps them warm.
• Fuel poor households and extreme fuel poor households are more likely to have difficulties staying warm in winter and to report affordability problems; 31% of fuel poor and 32% of extreme fuel poor households say that their heating keeps them warm in winter “only sometimes” or “never”, compared to 20% of non-fuel poor households.
• 17% of fuel poor and 18% of extreme fuel poor households report that they cannot afford to heat their home, higher than the 9% of non-fuel poor households
• 71% of householders stated they monitor their energy use “very” or “fairly closely” and 48% of all households report owning an energy monitoring device.
• A similar proportion of fuel poor (70%), extreme fuel poor (68%) and non-fuel poor households (71%) monitored their energy use “very” or “fairly closely” in 2023. However, both fuel poor households (42%) and extreme fuel poor (40%) households were less likely to have a monitoring device than non-fuel poor households (51%)

Energy Efficiency and Carbon Emissions

• In 2023, 56% of Scottish homes were rated as EPC band C or better, compared to 52% in 2022 an increase of 3 percentage points. 
• Under SAP 2009, which allows comparisons over a longer period, over half of dwellings (61%) were rated C or better, up 37 percentage points since 2010. In the same period, the proportion of properties in the lowest EPC bands (E, F or G) has reduced from 27% in 2010 to 8% in 2023.
• Under SAP 2009, the median EE rating in 2022 was 71, which is equivalent to Band C. This is an increase from 62 in 2010 which is equivalent to band D.

Distribution of the Scottish housing stock by grouped EPC band (SAP 2009), 2010 to 2023

Notes: [note 5]

• The majority of loft spaces are insulated. In 2023, loft insulation with a thickness of 100 mm or more had been installed in 96% of dwellings. This has been broadly stable since 2017 but represents an increase of 25 percentage points on 2007 levels.
• In 2023, 29% of lofts were insulated to a high standard of insulation (300 mm or more), similar to 2022 levels. The percentage of lofts with 300 mm or more insulation has remained around this level since 2014 following year on year increases from the 2010 figure of 5%.
• The proportion of insulated cavity walls recorded by the SHCS was 71% in 2023.
• The proportion of solid wall dwellings with insulation was 20% in 2023, an increase of 9 percentage points on the 2012 figure.
• Levels of insulation (both loft and wall) are higher in the social sector than in the private sector. 55% of homes in the private sector have wall insulation compared to 69% in the social sector. In the private sector, 65% of lofts are insulated to 200 mm or more compared to 77% in the social sector.
• In 2023, 79% of gas and oil boilers met the minimum efficiencies specified by current Building Standards, a substantial increase from 30% in 2012.
• Based on the modelled energy use required to meet the SAP standard heating regime, the average Scottish home was estimated to produce 6.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year in 2023, which is approximately double the average carbon emissions per household as reported by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (2.9 tonnes per year) in 2022, based on actual energy use. This suggests that households are not heating their homes to the SAP standard heating regime.
• Average modelled carbon emissions for all properties were 67 kg per square meter of floor area in 2023.

Housing Conditions

• Disrepair to critical elements, which are central to weather-tightness, structural stability and preventing deterioration of the property, stood at 45% in 2023. Less than half of these (16% of all dwellings) had urgent disrepair to critical elements and just 2% had extensive disrepair (covering at least a fifth of the element area) to critical elements.
• Overall, this is an improvement of 3 percentage points on 2022, when 49% of dwellings had disrepair to critical elements. The 2023 rate is the lowest since 2012.
• 18% of dwellings had disrepair to non-critical elements only, with 3% of dwellings requiring some urgent repair to non-critical elements, and 1% having extensive disrepair to non-critical elements
• Levels of mould, damp and condensation were similar to those seen in 2022: 90% of properties were free from any damp or condensation and 90% were free from mould.
• In 2023, 27% (or 694,000) of all dwellings fell below the Tolerable Standard, similar to 2022.
• In 2022, two new below tolerable standard criteria were introduced (assessing the presence, type, and condition of smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms) leading to a sharp increase to the proportion of below tolerable standard dwellings from 2% in 2019 to 29% in 2022
• The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) failure rate in the social sector was 38% in 2023, this has fallen from 60% in 2010. Failures of the Energy Efficient criterion were the biggest drivers of failures in the Social Sector. In 2023, 26% of social sector properties did not meet the Energy Efficient criterion.
• The majority of dwellings falling below the SHQS failed on a single criterion; this accounted for more than 8 out of 10 failures in the social sector.
• For 74% of social homes failing the SHQS this was due to falling short on just one of the 55 elements which make up the standard.

Bedroom Standard

• In 2023 around 61,000 households lived in overcrowded accommodation (2%) under the bedroom standard.
• Around 35% of all households (888,000) had one bedroom in excess of the minimum requirement under the bedroom standard. A further 878,000 (35% of all households) had two or more bedrooms in excess.
• Social sector tenants are more likely to live in accommodation which meets but does not exceed the minimum requirements of the bedroom standard (54% compared to 19% in the private sector). Social sector tenants are also slightly more likely (4%) to live in accommodation which is overcrowded according to the bedroom standard than those households living in the private sector (2%).
• By comparison households in the private sector are more likely to live in accommodation which exceeds the bedroom standard (79% vs 42% for social tenants).