Council welcomes £300k boost for home energy efficiencies

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed a £300k boost from the Scottish Government, for home energy efficiency works for homeowners, delivered locally by Warmworks on behalf of OIC.

It follows representations to the team responsible for the government’s Heat and Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (HEES: ABS) for additional funding, to enable the Council and Warmworks to meet ongoing high demand in the county, after a drop in the allocation for Orkney by £750k on the previous year.

The Council and the local Warmworks team estimate the £300k injection will help deliver energy saving measures to around another 30 homes in the county which were already assessed by Warmworks and on the waiting list for funding.

Warmworks have a local office in Kirkwall and work with local contractors to install energy efficiency measures.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer,  Chair of the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, said, “the Council is delighted with the news of the extra cash – but demand still outstrips the funding earmarked for Orkney.”

“We’re delighted the Scottish Government has taken the time to consider our request alongside the county's track record of delivering improvements to households who need it most.

“This latest £300k boost will allow us to continue at pace over the next few months to make inroads into the county’s eye watering fuel poverty levels.

“However, it still falls short of our allocation last year by £450k.

“We want to be very clear that we still have a significant number of households on the waiting list for a grant.

“We also have a well oiled machine capable of delivering an estimated further £200k of measures to local households before the end of this year’s scheme – though clearly as the weeks march on that amount will reduce.

“We’d urge the Scottish Government to help us capitalise on that by reallocating underspends from other areas which at this late stage will be apparent – sooner than later.

“We’d also like to see a distribution model where Councils are allocated money from the national pot based on demonstrable demand and track record – to give local supply chains greater certainty and enable efficiencies within the scheme.”

Meanwhile, home owners who are looking to try and improve the energy efficiency of their property are encouraged to speak to Warmworks, who can advise on other sources of help and/or offer an assessment for eligibility for future HEES: ABS funding.

For assistance and advice about home energy efficiency, call the Kirkwall Warmworks team on their freephone 0800 038 6022 or email orkney@warmworks.co.uk

You can also visit Warmworks’ office in Kirkwall at the following address (no appointment needed): 2 West Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall, KW15 1AL. 

Want to know more? Read our previous press release here: Orkney burns through home energy efficiency funds

Previous press release here Orkney burns through home energy efficiency funds