Elected Member Briefing - Scottish Government Funding for Energy Efficient Homes

About this briefing note

Report by: Elaine Ritchie, Senior Service Manager, Housing  

Date: 5 August 2022  

Subject: Award of 2022/23 Scottish Government funding for energy insulation work on local homes  

Responsible Officer: Nicola Lennon, Service Manager, Housing  

Publication

This Briefing Note will be published on the Council's website following circulation to Councillors. Its contents may be disclosed or shared out with the Council. 

Details 

Purpose 

This briefing note provides an update on the Council's work to secure funding from the national Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland - Area Based Schemes (HEEPS ABS) to carry out energy efficiency work on 'hard to heat' homes. 

Briefing Information 

Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland - Area Based Schemes (HEEPS ABS) is a Scottish Government initiative to tackle fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency in homes launched in 2013. 

The Local Housing Strategy for Perth and Kinross contains a commitment to address housing conditions, fuel poverty and climate change to enable residents of Perth and Kinross to live in warm, dry, energy efficient and low carbon homes, which they can afford to heat. Making local homes as energy efficient as they can be is also vital to support the Council's contribution towards the national target for net zero carbon emissions by 2040. 

Each year the Council bids for funding under the HEEPS ABS scheme based on energy efficiency work it wishes to carry out on local homes, both privately owned and social housing. 

Energy efficiency work under the HEEPS ABS scheme is targeted at improving houses that were built using non-traditional building methods, and are often very hard to heat. The upgrades can often be fully funded for home-owners and private landlords using a combination of grants from the Scottish Government. 

To date Perth & Kinross Council has secured over £15.5m through the scheme to carry out energy efficiency upgrades on local homes. More than 2,000 households across Perth and Kinross have already benefitted from external or internal insulation work, as well as cavity wall and loft insulation.  

2022/23 HEEPS ABS funding award 

Perth & Kinross Council was recently informed by the Scottish Government that an award of just over £1,961,000 will be provided for 2022/23 under the HEEPS ABS scheme.  

This will pay for insulation during 2022/23 to: 

• 60 homes in Hillyland, Perth and 33 homes in Letham, Perth (internal wall insulation) 
• 179 homes in Perth City, Kinross, Crieff and Coupar Angus (external wall insulation) 

The work will make these households easier to heat, bringing down fuel consumption and reducing their carbon footprint. 

As well as improving energy efficiency, external insulation work can also transform the appearance of buildings, enhancing the local environment for residents.