About the Project

Poorer households are most affected by the recent rises in energy prices with a reported 34% of households in Scotland currently living in fuel poverty and 23% of households living in extreme fuel poverty (Scottish Government 2024). Fuel poverty causes a range of chronic health conditions. In 2019, illnesses caused by cold and damp cost the NHS £2.5 billion – and this number is set to rise with increasing energy costs.

There is already lots of evidence that individual households’ energy behaviours will impact on everyone’s future health. Helping healthcare professionals understand these impacts will in turn help them to tailor their advice to patients. For example, opening a window for an hour could lead to less inhaler use.

A new 3- dimensional installation will be designed and displayed in a Glasgow hospital, demonstrating people’s energy use and behaviours in the home as they go about their evening routines. We aim to help healthcare professionals better understand the effects of fuel poverty on health, enabling them to provide recommendations informed by this knowledge.