More than 380,000 people in Scotland say energy bills unaffordable due to home being hard to heat

More than 380,000 people north of the border find their energy bills aren't affordable due to their home being hard to heat, according to new analysis.

Polling for Citizens Advice Scotland by YouGov reveals 36 per cent of people across the country find their energy bills unaffordable.

Of these people, 24 per cent cite their homes being hard to heat as a reason.

Based on Scotland’s population estimates of people over 18, this works out to 383,536 people.

The analysis has been released as part of the charity's Big Energy Saving Winter campaign.

It aims to encourage people to get advice to manage rising energy bills.

The charity says that consumers are facing soaring energy bills this year, with a further record rise in the energy price cap expected in April.

An announcement of the new level of the price cap is expected early next month.

It was recently revealed that inflation is running at a three decade high.

Kate Morrison, the charity's Fair Markets spokesperson, said: "With 1 in 3 people finding their energy bills unaffordable, lots of us are struggling with soaring bills.

"But it’s significant that hundreds of thousands of people would identify their home being hard to heat as a reason why they are finding bills unaffordable.

"The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use – better insulated homes mean people don’t have to pay as much. It’ll also help us on the journey to net zero, as better insulated homes means lower emissions.

"CAS has been running Big Energy Saving Winter because people don’t need to feel powerless about rising energy bills.

"You can check advice online or through a local CAB about how to increase your income, and looks at options at how to insulate your home."