£14m efficiency scheme gives local councils extra clout
Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) will enable local authorities to test new approaches to energy efficiency with community groups and businesses, while also adding to the number of efficiency measures pioneered in the country since 2008, which currently stands at just under a million.
The project aims to “drive down energy bills and work towards reaching climate change targets,” with effective innovations hoped to be developed further when SEEP is rolled out fully in 2018, as the Scottish government looks to expand its investment in affordable domestic heating, which currently totals over half a billion pounds over the last seven years.
Alex Neil (right), Social Justice Secretary for Scotland, explains how the pilot projects will integrate support across various building types to evaluate the impact of innovative approaches to funding and delivery, while also testing the market appetite for energy efficiency investments in the commercial sector.
“Across Scotland we have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of measures to help the most vulnerable people in our society heat their homes affordably. SEEP will help extend these measures to ensure homes, businesses and public buildings can benefit from a similar approach,” he said.
“This funding will now help local authorities develop projects and help ensure Scotland leads the way in energy efficiency.”
Wilson Shaw, Chair of the National Insulation Association in Scotland, added: “We welcome this new approach to supporting energy efficiency in Scotland. Funding like this is a much needed boost to the insulation industry and will help support hundreds of jobs across the country.
“The Scottish Government’s HEEPS schemes have been effective in improving the energy efficiency of our homes. It is important to build on this and I especially welcome the promotion of an integrated approach which should improve our ability to help both homes and businesses across Scotland.”
