South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has challenged the Scottish Government to deliver greater support to people who rely on supplies of heating oil to fuel their home heating systems amid rapidly rising costs.
The Scottish Conservative MSP pushed Scottish Government Minister and Green MSP Patrick Harvie on the issue during Portfolio Questions at Holyrood. With domestic heating oil prices rising even more rapidly than costs for gas and electricity, homes reliant on heating oil are facing hugely increased bills to fill their tanks.
There have also been reports of an increase in the instances of thefts from heating oil tanks following the record prices.
During the exchange in Holyrood, Brian urged the Scottish Government to do more to support households using oil heating to replace it with a low carbon alternative such as a heat pump.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“In rural areas like South Scotland, there are still many households who rely on fuel oil to heat their homes. With rapidly rising prices, as well as the need to move away from fossil fuel heating as part of the climate crisis, helping households switch to a greener alternative should be a priority.
For off-grid homes who don’t have access to a mains gas supply, there needs to be a financially viable alternative to fuel oil if we want to ensure that net-zero home heating can become a reality.
All too often, the Scottish Government fail to recognise the different challenges facing households in rural areas when it comes to home heating. Rather than being an afterthought in the net-zero transition, off-grid homes should be among the first to make the move and the Scottish Government should be helping them do it.”
