£5m green energy boost for Scottish homeowners

Published on 23/06/2012 01:52

A FURTHER £5 million has been set aside to help homeowners generate clean, green energy.

The fund, announced by energy minister Fergus Ewing, will be used to provide loans of up to £10,000 for renewable heat technology projects, such as biomass boilers and heat pumps. The scheme will run from August.

The loans are part of a wider strategy announced by the Scottish Government, which aims to encourage people to install microgeneration technologies in their homes, businesses and schools.

Mr Ewing said: “In Scotland, we are blessed with a wealth of natural resources which can be harnessed to power our nation, and, increasingly, technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps and biomass mean we can harness this energy in our own homes, schools, offices and businesses.

“The Scottish Government has the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the world, but the growth of microgeneration is not simply about meeting targets.

“This work can help contribute to Scotland’s transition to a low-carbon economy, it can support jobs in Scotland and create new ones, and it can help energy efficiency, reducing bills and taking more households out of fuel poverty.

“This strategy sets out the Scottish Government’s ambitions for the microgeneration sector, showcasing what’s already been achieved and the work we have done to make it easier for people all over Scotland to take the first steps to moving towards generating their own renewable energy.”

The new loans provide a boost to the existing Home Renewables Loan Scheme and are aimed at helping Scotland meet the government’s target of at least 100,000 homes having some form of renewable heating system by 2020.