Scottish Government boost fuel poverty scheme by £400,000

The Scottish Government announced late last week that it is boosting its fuel poverty scheme with an additional £400,000.

The Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS) loan fund, which offers interest-free loans for more expensive insulation measures as well as renewables and boiler replacements, is already helping around 200,000 homes.

Earlier this autumn, the Scottish Government committed £12.5 million into the scheme, which is administered by the Energy Saving Trust.

“This funding injection allows us to continue the great work being done through UHIS and widen our measures to try to keep families from falling into fuel poverty,” Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, told the Energy Action Scotland Conference in Clydebank.

“It is a disgrace that anyone should suffer from fuel poverty in an energy rich nation like Scotland. We continue to do everything we can with the powers available to us to invest in efficient schemes like UHIS and strive to end this blight,” he added.

But he said that the Government’s efforts are being undermined by energy companies’ price hikes.

For further information:
www.scotland.gov.uk
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/privateowners/his/universal-scheme

08 November 2011

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