Some of Scotland’s most vulnerable households will receive help to make their homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper through a £60 million energy efficiency fund announced by Housing Minister Margaret Burgess.
The investment into the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland (HEEPS) will enable local authorities to install energy efficiency measures such as solid wall, cavity and loft insulation in their communities.
Speaking at Kirkcaldy, where she met with residents whose homes have been improved through external wall insulation, Burgess said: “It is a scandal that there should be any fuel poverty in an energy-rich nation like Scotland.
“This £60 million investment will be distributed across all of Scotland’s local authorities and will help households in fuel poor areas stay warm and reduce their energy bills. In total, the Scottish Government will spend almost a quarter of a billion pounds over a three year period on fuel poverty and energy efficiency.
“Rising energy bills remain a huge concern for this government. This funding will see thousands of homes across Scotland receive new measures like solid wall insulation and help to drive down the number of people living in fuel poverty.
“I’m also particularly pleased to announce that some of our most remote areas, such as Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles are receiving over £5 million more in funding than they did last year. This will ensure that all of Scotland benefits from this funding and in particular those areas which are off the gas grid and where households are more likely to find it difficult to heat their home.”
Councillor Judy Hamilton, Executive spokesperson for Housing and Building Services at Fife Council added: “Fife Council is to receive £2,933,009 from the Scottish Government so that we can continue to improve the lives of people across Fife by making their homes warmer and cheaper to heat.
“I am particularly pleased that we will be working in partnership with the charity Changeworks and installing insulation in the homes of people who are at risk of fuel poverty. “We have also recently received £2.5 million funding from Scottish Gas via the Energy Company Obligation to transform over 250 homes in the area.”
For more information:
Scottish Government Home Energy Scotland hotline 0808 808 2282
Local authority HEEPS funding 2014/15 – who gets what
| Aberdeen City | £1,682,828 |
| Aberdeenshire | £3,150,000 |
| Angus | £1,066,560 |
| Argyll and Bute | £2,389,668 |
| Clackmannanshire | £462,480 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | £2,047,669 |
| Dundee | £3,653,537 |
| East Ayrshire | £1,568,205 |
| East Dunbartonshire* | £608,538 |
| East Lothian | £777,926 |
| East Renfrewshire | £367,554 |
| Edinburgh | £3,356,554 |
| Eilean siar* | £2,253,800 |
| Falkirk | £1,737,862 |
| Fife | £2,933,009 |
| Glasgow | £4,593,073 |
| Highland | £3,183,019 |
| Inverclyde* | £1,254,860 |
| Midlothian | £1,157,000 |
| Moray | £992,285 |
| N Ayrshire | £1,851,923 |
| N Lanarkshire* | £2,707,100 |
| Orkney | £1,343,167 |
| Perth and Kinross | £1,891,921 |
| Renfrewshire | £2,056,339 |
| Scottish Borders | £1,383,023 |
| Shetland | £912,522 |
| South Ayrshire | £1,392,291 |
| South Lanarkshire* | £2,805,170 |
| Stirling | £1,868,236 |
| West Dunbartonshire | £736,671 |
| West Lothian | £1,723,713 |
* Subject to final negotiation and assessment of submissions
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