The latest Orkney Household Energy Survey has been published revealing the stark impact of rising energy costs on Orkney households, alongside a growing interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Around 10% of Orkney households have responded to a household energy survey (1,183 responses) undertaken by Aquatera Ltd in 2024 as part of the Rural Energy Hubs project, funded by Innovate UK.
The survey provides a five-year comparison of local energy use and attitudes marked by dramatic price rises and widespread adoption of renewables. A similar survey was conducted in 2019 as part of the ReFLEX Orkney project, also funded by Innovate UK, which intended to provide a baseline for future surveys to track changes around energy use and people's attitudes to renewables and energy efficiency technologies.
Rural Energy Hubs project partners Aquatera, EMEC, Community Energy Scotland and The Orkney and Shetland Islands Councils are working to accelerate decarbonisation in remote and rural communities. The results of this survey will inform future work under the Rural Energy Hubs project, as well as other community initiatives such as the Island Centre for Net Zero (ICNZ), and contribute to ongoing efforts to tackle fuel poverty, improve energy efficiency and increase local energy resilience.
The results of the 2024 survey paint a mixed picture. While uptake of renewable technologies has increased significantly, energy affordability has become a critical issue. The number of households spending more than £2,500 a year on electricity has quadrupled since 2019, from just 7% to 31%. Heating oil and alternative fuel costs have also surged and are having a huge impact on the decisions that some households take around energy use.
Household energy spend for 2019 and 2024
Encouragingly, the survey shows significant increases in the adoption of renewable technologies by households in Orkney. Over a third (36%) of respondents have energy-generating technologies installed, up from 19% in 2019. Battery storage systems have seen a particularly sharp rise (from 1% to nearly 9%) and electric vehicle uptake has doubled, with 14% owning or leasing an EV.
Insulation upgrades and community-owned renewable projects emerged as the most popular forms of climate action, with large-scale wind generation remaining more divisive. The survey also revealed a shift in motivations with energy security and cost savings now ranking above environmental concerns for most households.
However, there are significant issues around awareness and ability to access funding and information to assist residents to decarbonise or access energy saving measures. The increased cost of living, substantial energy price increases and reduction in Government funding has impacted on access to technologies and where residents' priorities lie. Most would like more support in obtaining technology either by way of information, guidance, funding direction and understanding of the financial benefits in a clear way. This is especially relevant when looking at solar and battery storage and alternative energy systems.
While many challenges and barriers for Orkney residents remain in regard to access to low carbon technology, there has been in increase in awareness and acceptance of them; More residents would like to have low carbon technology given the opportunity.
Luke Fraser, Aquatera Senior Consultant led the work on the surveys in 2019 and 2024, said:
"This data highlights how the cost-of-living crisis has and is continuing to bite hard in Orkney. Increased energy costs are pushing more households toward fuel poverty, especially in older, less energy efficient, properties and those that entirely rely on electricity for their household energy needs. We would like to thank the 1,183 people who took the time to complete the survey, making it possible for us to provide this analysis for the Orkney community."
The survey can be downloaded on Aquatera's website: 2024 Orkney Household Energy Survey
