Hundreds of thousands of people using warm spaces to save on winter energy bills
Community centres and libraries are some of the places people have been heading for some warmth
Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to warm spaces this winter, in a bid to save money on their heating and energy bills.
More than 230,000 people have visited libraries, cafes, and community centres to stay warm, according to figures from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).
The organisation is encouraging individuals struggling with the cost of living to seek help from its network.
It estimates householders who sought energy related advice from staff last year saved more than £400 on average, and those who sought general advice and benefitted from it received over £3,700.
230,000 people seeking out warm spaces
CAS calculated the number of people turning to community spaces to keep warm this winter by analysing research from YouGov as part of its Worried This Winter? campaign.
Energy spokesman Matthew Lee said: "These are shocking figures which show the scale of concern and the measures people have taken to try and stay warm in cold weather as energy bills have increased.
"People are struggling to keep warm in their own home and they don't want to turn the heating on because of the costs, so they will find somewhere else to get a heat.
"People being forced to take these sorts of decisions should be completely unacceptable in 2024.
"Unacceptable in 2024"
"We would encourage anyone worried about the cost of bills this winter to seek help from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) network.
"That doesn't have to mean going to a CAB: our online advice pages are used by millions of people a year and we have interactive self-help tools to help people see where they could boost their incomes or cut their costs.
"The CAB network gets incredible results for people. Last year, for those who saw a financial gain after seeking advice, the average received over £3,700.
"That can be absolutely life-changing money this winter. And remember our advice is always free, impartial and confidential. We don't judge, we just help."