Welcome for home energy efficiency funding announcement

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed funding worth just over £1.25 million from the Scottish Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes across the county.

Since 2015-16, the EES:ABS (Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme) and similar previous initiatives have helped more than 800 households in Orkney make their homes warmer through the installation of energy-saving improvements, primarily insulation.

The scheme is open to home owners, private sector tenants and landlords.

In Orkney, the scheme is managed by Warmworks on behalf of Orkney Islands Council.

Warmworks has an office in Kirkwall and works with local contractors to install energy efficiency measures for eligible households. Over 100 households in Orkney have been supported by this funding over the last year with more than £1m spent to on measures such as loft, wall and underfloor insulation and modern high heat retention heaters.

Scotland wide, Warmworks has helped more than 27,000 people stay warm in their homes since 2015.

To find out if your household is eligible for funding, you should contact Warmworks. Under the scheme, eligible households can receive funding for:

• Loft insulation.
• Internal wall insulation.
• External wall insulation.
• Under floor insulation.
• High heat retention storage heaters after consideration of insulation measures

The Scottish Government have also agreed the funding can be used to continue to trial and evaluate the use of Q-bot remote controlled spray foam technology to insulate hard-to-reach underfloor areas. https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=5184

Councillor Gwenda Shearer, the Council’s chair of Education, Leisure and Housing, said: “We're pleased to have confirmation of further funding from the Scottish Government for the year ahead to help continue to improve the energy efficiency of homes in Orkney.

"Credit must go to the Council's housing team and Warmworks who worked closely together on the funding bid to help us evidence the need and secure continued support for Orkney.

“Now is a great time for householders to speak to Warmworks to see if they could benefit, before the winter weather arrives.”

Ross Armstrong, Chief Executive of Warmworks said: “We’re delighted to be able to build on the ongoing success of the scheme in Orkney. This will be our third year working on behalf of Orkney Islands Council to deliver funding where it's needed and, at this important time when we're all aware of the need to manage our energy bills we'd urge anyone keen to look at making their home warmer and more energy efficient to get in touch and find out more. If we can’t help you through this scheme, we can help you explore other sources of help."

You can contact the Warmworks team by email or by phoning 01856 881513 or Freephone 0800 038 6022, or visit their office at The Store, 5 West Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall, KW15 1AL (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00) or email orkney@warmworks.co.uk