Monday 21 March 2016

Scotland to help housing associations heat homes

The Scottish Government has launched a £14 million energy efficiency fund to help householders keep their homes warmer.

It expects up to 4,000 households to benefit from the interest-free scheme which is open to housing associations for the first time.

The fund is part of the government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland (HEEPS) programme.

The cash will help meet the cost of installing energy efficiency measures like internal or external wall insulation and had-to-treat cavity walls.

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said: “For the first time the HEEPS loans scheme will be open to housing associations. This will help ensure their homes meet the higher standards for energy efficiency that have been set by the Scottish Government.

“Last year more than £8 million was saved in fuel bills thanks to the HEEPS scheme, covering 30,000 households. Since 2009 we have allocated over half a billion pounds on a raft of measures to help the most vulnerable people in our society heat their homes affordably.”