Belts are tightening across the nation as the cost of living crisis takes hold.
With fuel and food prices spiralling, we looked at how Tayside and Fife homes were coping before the crisis hit.
Based on the latest available data from the Scottish Household Survey and the Scottish House Conditions Survey these charts show how household across Dundee, Perth, Fife and Tayside were coping prior to the energy crisis and how well prepared they may be for the squeeze.
How are Scottish households managing financially?
The latest available data comes from the Scottish Household Survey, which is an annual survey with around 3,000 respondents.
Scottish Household Survey
The data shows that across Scotland 9% of respondents were not managing well, rising as high as nearly one in five in Dundee.
It also shows that respondents who owned their own home fared better than tenants, with 69% of owner occupiers in Scotland stating they were currently managing well, compared with only 28% in the social housing sector and 44% in the private rented sector.
Data from the Department for Work and Pensions from 2020 shows the proportion of children in each area who are living in poverty.
The chart below shows the absolute poverty rates which is the rate of children where the household income is insufficient to afford basic necessities.
Absolute Poverty Rates Dundee, Angus, Perth, and Fife
This rate was increasing prior to the cost of living crisis.
How prepared are Scottish homes for rising energy prices and cost of living increases?
With the recent changes to the energy cap, households across Scotland may start to see surging energy prices.
With that in mind we looked at a range of statistics, from fuel poverty to energy efficiency ratings to see how prepared households in Dundee, Fife and across Tayside may be for those surges.
Fuel Poverty in Scotland
Fuel poverty in Scotland is defined as more than 10% of net income (after housing costs) being required for reasonable fuel needs.
In 2019, the Scottish Government set new targets for the levels in Scotland with the aim that by 2040 no more than 5% of the population should be in that position.
The chart below shows the levels recorded in the most recent Scottish House Conditions Survey.
Dundee had the highest levels of fuel poverty across Tayside and Fife at 31%, 7 percentage points above the Scottish average.
One of the key pieces of advice in preparing for a cold winter and keeping energy bills down is to ensure your home has adequate insulation.
Loft Insulation
For loft insulation, Tayside and Fife were all very close to the Scottish average of 6% not having more than 100mm of insulation.
Dundee was slightly higher than the average for wall insulation with 28% of households having no wall insulation.
Energy Efficiency Ratings
When it comes to energy efficiency ratings, whilst Fife and Dundee are doing better than the Scottish average in the proportion of energy efficient households, in nearby Angus 11% of households had a low energy efficiency rating.
Share your cost of living story
We want to hear your stories about how your household will be hit by the rising cost of living.
We’d also like to hear any helpful hints about how to keep bills down in the weeks and months ahead. You can get in touch by emailing community@thecourier.co.uk.
cost
