£60m bid to insulate Scots from fuel poverty

THOUSANDS of homes could benefit from a £60 million fund aimed at cutting fuel poverty, according to the housing minister Margaret Burgess.

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess announced the move on a visit to Annbank, site of an Energy Agency project. Picture: Jeff Holmes

The cash, part of the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland, will be used to improve the energy efficiency of houses through measures such as solid wall, cavity or loft insulation. Councils will each get a share of £42m from the fund for this work, with the remaining £18m made available to local authorities to develop large scale schemes.

The funding, which is being made available for 2014-15, is part of almost £250m the Scottish Government is investing to tackle fuel poverty and boost energy efficiency over three years.

The housing minister announced the investment on a visit to Annbank in South Ayrshire yesterday where she met residents who have already had their homes improved.

Ms Burgess said: “This £60m investment 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. Today’s 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.”

She continued: “This funding will be distributed across all of Scotland’s local authorities, including our rural and island areas and will include specific provision for households in rural areas currently finding it difficult to access the measures.

“The investment will also support and sustain the insulation industry in Scotland.”