Press kit: Scotland’s £1.6 billion energy-saving analysis
Free-to-reproduce press materials for our Scotland-wide EPC × SIMD energy analysis. Summaries, charts, downloads, citation format, copy/paste ready, no permission needed.
Free to reproduce. All findings, charts and the source dataset on this page are free to reproduce with credit to Axiom Eco Homes and a hyperlink to the source article. No permission required. No registration needed.
Ready-to-use summaries
50-word version
New analysis cross-referencing the UK Energy Performance Certificate register against the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 finds that Scotland’s existing homes hold £1.58 billion in documented potential energy savings over three years. The opportunity is highest in middle-rural Scotland and the Western Isles, not in the most deprived areas.
100-word version
Scotland’s housing stock holds £1,577,681,297 in documented potential energy savings over the next three years, according to new analysis by Axiom Eco Homes. The figure is the sum of “potential savings” calculated by Energy Performance Certificate assessors across 1.78 million Scottish homes. By council, City of Edinburgh (£117.4m) and Highland (£116.6m) lead by total; Na h-Eileanan an Iar leads by per-home opportunity at £2,102, with 27.8% of certified homes rated F or G. Counter to assumption, the most deprived 10% of Scotland has the lowest per-home savings opportunity.
200-word version
Scotland is sitting on £1.58 billion in documented potential energy savings that householders could realise over the next three years, according to new analysis by Axiom Eco Homes that cross-references the UK Energy Performance Certificate register against the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020v2.
The figure is the sum of the “three-year potential savings” field calculated by EPC assessors on 1,782,417 Scottish dwellings, covering approximately 68% of the country’s housing stock.
The biggest totals sit with the biggest cities: Edinburgh (£117.4m), Highland (£116.6m), Glasgow (£108.4m), Fife (£103.4m). But per-home, the cities vanish from the rankings. The Western Isles tops the list at £2,102 per home, with more than 1 in 4 certified homes rated F or G, Scotland’s lowest two energy bands.
Cross-referencing with SIMD reveals a counterintuitive pattern: energy waste per home peaks in middle Scotland (SIMD decile 6, £1,176) and again in the most affluent decile (decile 10, £1,126). The most deprived 10% of Scotland (decile 1) has the lowest per-home savings opportunity at £524.
Underneath every breakdown, one finding cross-cuts the data: a pre-1919 Scottish home is around 190 times more likely to be rated F or G than one built since 2008.
Headline statistics
| Statistic | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total documented 3-year savings opportunity | £1,577,681,297 | 1,782,417 Scottish EPCs |
| Scottish dwellings covered | 1.78 million (≈68% of total stock) | EPC × Census 2022 |
| Western Isles homes rated F or G | 27.8% | EPC × SIMD 2020v2 |
| Top council by total savings | Edinburgh, £117.4m | EPC × SIMD 2020v2 |
| Top council by per-home savings | Na h-Eileanan an Iar, £2,102 | EPC × SIMD 2020v2 |
| Pre-1919 F/G rate | 16.2% | EPC, 282,079 records |
| Post-2008 F/G rate | 0.084% | EPC, 47,753 records |
| Ratio (pre-1919 : post-2008 F/G likelihood) | ≈190× | derived |
| SIMD decile with lowest per-home savings | Decile 1 (most deprived), £524 | EPC × SIMD 2020v2 |
| SIMD decile with highest per-home savings | Decile 6 (middle), £1,176 | EPC × SIMD 2020v2 |
Downloadable charts and maps
All images are pre-watermarked with axiomecohomes.co.uk in the bottom corner. Free to use with credit and a hyperlink.
- Map: total £ savings by council, Download PNG ↓
- Map: per-home £ savings by council, Download PNG ↓
- Map: % F or G rated by council, Download PNG ↓
- Chart: top 10 councils by total savings, Download PNG ↓
- Chart: top 10 councils by per-home savings, Download PNG ↓
- Chart: the bimodal SIMD pattern, Download PNG ↓
Pre-formatted citation
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According to <a href="https://axiomecohomes.co.uk/journal/scotland-energy-savings/">analysis by Axiom Eco Homes</a>, …Plain text
According to analysis by Axiom Eco Homes (axiomecohomes.co.uk), …Print / Harvard reference
Axiom Eco Homes (2026) Scotland is sitting on a £1.6 billion energy-saving goldmine. Available at: https://axiomecohomes.co.uk/journal/scotland-energy-savings/Ready-to-use quotes
Three variations. Attribute to a spokesperson, Axiom Eco Homes.
“The £1.6 billion isn’t an estimate, it’s the sum of what’s already written on every active Scottish Energy Performance Certificate. Householders are paying that money out today. The opportunity is to keep it.”
On the headline figure
“The headline assumption in Scottish energy policy has been that deprivation drives fuel waste. The data says geography, building age and tenure drive it. SIMD decile is, at best, a weak signal, and in the most deprived 10% of the country, it points the wrong way entirely.”
On the deprivation paradox
“A Scottish home built before 1919 is around 190 times more likely to be F or G rated than one built since 2008. Three hundred thousand of these older properties are still in active EPC records. Some can be retrofitted. Some will need to be replaced. Either way, this is the structural problem under Scottish housing policy.”
On the pre-1919 problem
Methodology summary
All figures derive from the UK Energy Performance Certificate register, accessed via the standard public dataset. Only the most recent certificate per dwelling was counted. The £1.58 billion total sums the “Three-Year Potential Energy Savings” field across 1,782,417 Scottish records, excluding 469 rows with non-numeric values. SIMD ranks and deciles were sourced from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020v2 (gov.scot), using the September 2025 postcode and data-zone lookup refresh. The 1.78 million certified homes represent approximately 68% of Scotland’s 2.6 million dwellings (Census 2022). Full methodology and the underlying dataset are linked above.
Read the full analysis
The complete analysis with all findings, methodology and supporting tables: Scotland is sitting on a £1.6 billion energy-saving goldmine.