Scots impress with eager take-up of ‘green heat’ vouchers

SCOTS have been praised for their efforts to “green” their homes through a renewable energy heating scheme.

Hundreds of Scottish households have applied for vouchers to help them install heat generating systems, such as wood- fuelled boilers and heat pumps. Scotland, which has 8 per cent of the UK population, has claimed 15 per cent of vouchers requested through the Renewable Heat Premium Payment Scheme since its launch on 1 August.

So far, 3,704 RHPP vouchers have been issued across the UK, with 560 to households in Scotland. The vouchers are worth a maximum of £1,250 and are issued in Scotland by the Energy Saving Trust.

Its Scottish director, Mike Thornton, said: “We’re very pleased by the high take-up we have had. It shows homeowners in Scotland are determined to make their homes more cosy and energy efficient. I think many of us are worried about the costs of greening our homes, which is where this voucher scheme really helps.

“Many more households in Scotland could benefit from this scheme, but they need to be quick.

“They only have until 31 March, 2012 to complete the application process. It’s the perfect way to meet the double whammy of rising fuel bills and cold winters.”

Wood-fuelled boilers have proved the most popular form of green technology chosen, comprising almost 32 per cent of applications in Scotland.