Householders' solar and wind energy grant tripled

Published on Wednesday 19 March 2008 13:15

FUNDING for people who want to fit windmills, solar panels or heat pumps to their homes is to be tripled.

Finance Secretary John Swinney today announced the Scottish Government will make available 13.5 million a year for the next three years to help householders, small businesses and local communities generate their own clean energy.

It means more householders will be able to access grants of up to 4000 and community groups up to 100,000 for fitting alternative energy sources.

And small businesses will for the first time be eligible for loans for microgeneration as well as for energy efficiency measures.

The grants for householders do not cover the full cost of installing new systems. Fitting a ground-source heat pump at an average house in Edinburgh is estimated to cost between 10,000 and 15,000.

Announcing the new funding – up from the current 4.5m a year – Mr Swinney said: "We recently announced our intention to introduce a statutory target to reduce Scottish emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, as part of our proposals for Scotland's first Climate Change Bill. Everyone has a part to play and the Scottish Government is providing strong leadership by tripling funding support to encourage householders, businesses and community projects to generate their own renewable energy."

He said the Government had recently unveiled proposals to make it easier for people to install windmills and solar panels by removing the need in most cases for planning permission.

He added: "Low carbon technologies in our renewable energy mix will make a significant contribution to Scotland's future.

"By tripling government funding for community microgeneration initiatives and reforming the planning system, the Scottish Government is putting in place the incentives for people to generate their own clean energy."

Of the 13.5m funding, 5.25m will be available for community projects, 3.5m for householders and 2m for businesses through loans. The remaining cash will be used to provide advice and support to those seeking to install renewable technologies.

People applying for grants are expected to show they are minimising their energy demands as much as possible by installing energy efficiency measures such as draught-proof and insulation.

Community projects must demonstrate how the project will benefit the community.