Scots will still face high gas and electricity bills despite the energy price cap falling, Citizens Advice Scotland has warned.
The energy price cap is set to fall by £426 a year but is still double what it was in 2021.
Citizens Advice Scotland have warned that the drop only means consumers are paying similar amounts to what they were in winter, when the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme was in place.
Energy regulator Ofgem's price cap has been reduced slightly to £2,074 a year for the typical household from July. But energy prices will still be around double the 2021 figure of £1042 and they are expected to rise again in January.
This marks the first time the cap has fallen since the global gas crisis took hold more than 18 months ago. It reached £4,279 at its peak.
Citizens Advice Scotland social justice spokesperson David Hilferty said: “This fall in the price cap does not necessarily mean cheaper bills for people, given the end of the Energy Support Scheme.
"The cap remains higher than it was last summer, bills will remain higher than the beginning of this crisis in 2021, and since then people have faced a huge squeeze on their finances."
He added: “Citizens Advice Scotland would propose three things policymakers could do to support people – increase the value of social security, a social tariff in the energy market for those on low incomes, and better funding for advice services like CABs that help people with energy and financial problems. CABs deliver real results for people, with the average financial gain for those who saw one after seeking advice last year being £4,200.”
SNP Energy spokesperson Alan Brown said: "Scottish families are paying the price for Westminster failure, with the typical household energy bill double what it was in 2021 and wages falling behind soaring inflation - showing exactly why Scotland needs to escape Westminster control as an independent country.
"Scotland is an energy-rich country and it's absurd the UK government is forcing families to pay through the nose for a resource we have in abundance, while it refuses to reinvest the huge profits it is raking in from Scotland's north sea oil and gas.
"Westminster should be using these profits to give families in Scotland an energy bill rebate - and it should match the ambition of progressive SNP government policies, like the £25 a week Scottish Child Payment, to help families struggling with the cost of living."
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here .
