Today Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie MSP announced changes to the way funding is made available to Scottish householders wanting to make their homes more energy efficient.
The money, which is distributed through Home Energy Scotland, means householders can now apply for up to £7,500 of grant funding for heat pumps, insulation and other measures that make homes easier to heat and keep that heat in. In rural areas, funding of up to £9,000 is available.
The announcement was made during a visit to the Home Energy Scotland South East Advice Centre, located within Changeworks’ Edinburgh office. Changeworks delivers Home Energy Scotland in the South East and Highlands and Islands on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust.
Josiah Lockhart, Changeworks Chief Executive said: “We’re pleased to see the Scottish Government taking steps to make accessing funding easier. We need to scale up the number of homes being decarbonised, and this is a great step towards that”.
He added: “The previous cashback scheme would have been a barrier for many people who didn’t have the money to pay upfront, and to see that acknowledged and replaced with a simplified grant is really welcome.
“Homes in Scotland are significantly less efficient than in other European countries. That means we’re using more energy than we need to in heating our homes, and that’s a big contributor to the climate crisis.
“Making homes more efficient is a key part of not only tackling the volatility of energy bill prices, but also in bringing down emissions and averting a climate disaster.”
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