A new £5m fund released by the Scottish Parliament is expected to help thousands of the country’s households make their homes cheaper to warm.
The HEEPS: Cashback scheme has been made available to social housing providers and offers funding to be used towards energy efficiency measures.
Under the scheme, 28 housing associations and local authorities across Scotland will receive funding to improve around 2,000 homes. The cash will help meet the cost of installing measures like solid wall insulation or hard-to-treat cavity call insulation.
Margaret Burgess, housing minister for the Scottish National Party (SNP), unveiled the new scheme on August 21 and said: “These energy efficiency measures will help families who are struggling to make ends meet by saving money on their housing bills. The Scottish Government wants to create a fairer, equal and more prosperous country. A supply of high quality housing stock underpins that ambition.”
She added: “Introducing energy efficiency measures stimulates economic growth, provides jobs and strengthens communities and tackles inequality.”
The release of the £5m HEEPS: Cashback Scheme is part of the Scottish Government’s wider investment of £119m in 2015/16 to tackle fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency.
It also follows an announcement made in June 2015 that the Scottish Government is to make energy efficiency improvements a national infrastructure priority, in a move that many in the UK have called for Westminster to adopt nationwide.
