NEARLY 400,000 people across Scotland say their energy bills are unaffordable because their homes are hard to heat.

The poll for Citizen's Advice Scotland (CAS) revealed that 36 per cent of people in Scotland find their utility bills unaffordable.

And 24% of the respondents say that their homes are hard to heat which CAS works out to be around 383, 536 people.

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The results come as part of CAS Big Energy Saving Winter campaign, which encourages people who are struggling to get advice on how to manage increasing energy bills.

Customers are facing huge hikes in energy bills this year with a further rise in the cap expected in April.

CAS Fair Markets spokesperson Kate Morrison 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.

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“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.”