Eco Grants of £470,000 to Help Save Fuel Costs

Three different housing projects, based in the north and north-east, are to share a grant of £470,000 to help improve energy efficiency of buildings.

This comes as a result of the first Energy Efficiency Design Awards by the Scottish Government, designed to cut bills of those living in fuel poverty, as well as helping to reduce carbon emissions.

Three schemes to have won the award include Sky and Raasay, Macduff and Westray in Orkney.

Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association are using their £163,315 to improve 14 semi-detached properties. Measures they will take include insulation, and fitting double glazing and draught proofing.

£140,241 was given to the Westray Development Trust, who will be helping 9 homes on the island. They will be insulating lofts, adding draught proofing and treating external walls with special insulating paint.

The beginning of Energy Saving Week saw the announcement of two other projects in Fife and Kirkcaldy who would share a total of £203,000 as part of the scheme.

John Swinney, Finance Secretary, stated that ‘we all need to take steps to cut the energy we use’. This means helping to combat the high fuel prices, and reducing emissions. This is particularly important as around a quarter of all properties in Scotland are seen as hard to treat.

The Energy Efficiency Design Awards were designed to encourage innovation in energy-saving solutions, and Swinney stated that all of the winners have demonstrated a ‘unique approach’.