Today we publish the first annual update of our 2019 report, which outlines the home energy programmes Energy Saving Trust delivers on behalf of the Scottish Government. This publication aims to respond to the demand for information about these programmes from international stakeholders and those from other parts of the UK keen to learn more about the Scottish experience of delivering home energy programmes.
Its publication comes only a few weeks after the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2020-21 which, among other things, committed the Scottish Government to: invest £1.6 billion in heat and energy efficiency in homes and buildings over the next Parliament; to double annual capital investment in heat and energy efficiency by the end of the next Parliament; and to double the rate of renewable heat installations every year.
Consistent funding and support from the Scottish Government over many years for a wide range of programmes to improve the energy performance of Scotland’s homes means that Scotland has the most advanced home energy infrastructure in the UK – and means that the essential building blocks are largely in place to deliver against these ever more challenging targets and commitments.
As well as providing updated savings figures for key programmes, the report also includes information about key programme developments including:
- in response to the minimum energy efficiency standards for private rented properties[1], landlords within the private rented sector now have their own dedicated loan fund – Private Rented Sector Landlord Loans – and are no longer eligible for the Home Energy Scotland Loan
- cavity wall insulation extraction and replacement has recently been added as a new measure under Warmer Homes Scotland. Additional enabling measures have also been introduced, including asbestos removal and the installation of fuel storage tanks and low energy lighting
- recognising the complex relationship between electric heating system, metering and tariff arrangements, partnered with the high level of fuel-poverty amongst this consumer group (43 per cent of fuel-poor households in Scotland use electricity as their main heating fuel), Home Energy Scotland’s advisors now also provide specialist advice on electric heating systems and restricted meters
- the Home Renewables Selector has been updated. This tool helps customers in Scotland to find out what renewables technologies might be suitable for their home (as well as information about those technologies) and provides fuel bill and carbon saving estimates based on the characteristics of their property
The report also outlines the additional support that Home Energy Scotland has been able to offer to vulnerable customers during the COVID-19 crisis and how Home Energy Scotland has been able to support the work of other organisations that have been overwhelmed with demand for support as a result of the crisis.
Download the Delivering a new energy future for Scotland’s home report.
[1] Note: the introduction of these regulations has been delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis