The damage caused by fuel poverty is felt year-round, but it is particularly stark as we start to approach the winter months. With temperatures falling and days shortening, the need to support people to better heat and insulate their homes becomes ever more apparent.

This has been thrown into even sharper relief following the UK Government’s decision to introduce a means-tested Winter Fuel Payment - a decision that has also now been replicated by the Scottish Government. Whatever you think of the politics of the issue, it has further focused minds on the need to keep individuals and families warm during winter.

Demand for support from Scotland's fuel poverty programme, Warmer Homes Scotland, is skyrocketing, and by directing some of the Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Budget towards tackling fuel poverty, the Scottish Government can go some way towards protecting the most vulnerable households, whilst creating job and training opportunities that will serve us well in the years ahead.

The costs of not doing so are immense. At its most extreme, a cold home is deadly. This is particularly the case for older people, but fuel poverty also affects the physical and mental health of children and young people too. Indeed, it is directly linked to child poverty and research has shown that living in cold, damp homes negatively impacts educational attainment and worsens health inequalities.

Among working-age adults, the effects are also significant. Fuel poverty can push up debt and amplify the cost-of-living crisis, particularly in light of the energy price rises that have already been announced for the winter ahead.

This is not something that affects only a few people. The latest figures from the Scottish Government suggest just under a third of homes in Scotland were in fuel poverty in 2022 – the equivalent of almost 800,000 households.

Meanwhile - and perhaps unsurprisingly given the energy price crisis - the number of households in extreme fuel poverty is also on the rise in Scotland, up from 311,000 in 2019 to 472,000 in 2022.

Given the significant impact and prevalence of fuel poverty, it is absolutely right that the Scottish Government has prioritised tackling it, with a target of having no more than five percent of households in fuel poverty, and fewer than one percent in extreme fuel poverty, by 2040.

It is deeply worrying that the trend is going in the wrong direction, so the Scottish Government needs to redouble efforts to get back on track. Achieving those targets – and achieving them quickly – will also have a vital role to play in achieving the First Minister’s stated number one ambition of tackling child poverty.

Fortunately, there are proven solutions in place that can help the Scottish Government to make real progress on its ambitions today. For example, since the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme launched in 2015, it has helped almost 50,000 families to better heat and insulate their homes, saving them money and tackling fuel poverty and its disastrous knock-on effects. Indeed, almost two thirds of families supported by the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme reported better educational outcomes for their children as a result.

At the same time, the scheme has also delivered significant benefits in a wider context, not least in helping to support the economy and supply chain in rural and underserved areas, as well as restoring pride in communities.

For instance, almost 60 percent of the local supply chain businesses involved in the scheme said they had been able to take on additional apprentices due to their role in supporting Warmer Homes Scotland. This kind of supply chain growth is essential if we are to meet climate targets - reducing greenhouse emissions by supporting people to switch to clean heating.

No doubt due to the increasing energy prices that are about to hit bills across Scotland, the scheme is very heavily subscribed. By using just a small proportion of the extra money the Scottish Government received in the UK Government budget on October 30 to provide additional funding for the scheme for the winter ahead, the Scottish Government can expand its reach still further, helping more families across Scotland to heat their homes more affordably.

With winter fast approaching and fuel poverty high on the public agenda, the cost of inaction will be severe.

Elizabeth Leighton is the Director of Existing Homes Alliance