The Route Map to an Energy Efficient Scotland will help cut fuel poverty, however organisations have highlighted further improvements that can be made
Third sector groups have welcomed a new energy efficiency scheme which aims to eradicate fuel poverty.
The Scottish Government announced today (Wednesday, 2 May) that it will allocate £54.5 million to help make the country’s homes more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gases.
Hollyrood'sRoute Map to an Energy Efficient Scotland aims to ensure all homes meet efficiency targets by 2040.
The funding will support local authorities to expand their existing energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes, and will also ensure privately rented homes meet the new targets.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Government’s energy efficiency programme will help ensure all our buildings are warmer, greener and more energy efficient."
Fuel poverty charity Energy Action Scotland said that the scheme would help to reduce the amount of people who face a choice of eating or heating.
Director Norman Kerr said: “649 000 households in Scotland are currently living in fuel poverty which is an unacceptably high number of people making a daily choice between heating and eating.
“Fuel poverty is a massive burden to our NHS, leading to delayed discharge and increasing the number of older people attending their GP by 19% for every degree the temperature drops below five degrees centigrade. This is unaffordable and unacceptable.”
Citizens Advice Scotland pledged to work with the government to ensure landlords get properties up to standard, whilst the Existing Homes Alliance called for Hollyrood to commit further funding to encourage homeowners to make their houses efficient.
Age Scotland’s Brian Sloan said the funding would make a difference to many older people, however the government must do more to tackle fuel poverty.
He said: “Extending the energy efficiency standards to private landlords, as well as social ones, will make a real difference to some of the poorest and most vulnerable pensioners. This is a real milestone on the road to eradicating fuel poverty.
“However the government needs to go further in setting more ambitious targets for eradicating fuel poverty by 2040, and these should be enshrined in the upcoming Warm Homes Bill. We would like to see more support, especially for owner-occupiers who are cash poor, to improve the efficiency of their homes.”
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ Sarah Boyack welcomed the announcement, but called for support to enable housing associations to continue to lead on energy efficiency.
She said: “With these new targets, which are very challenging, there needs to be a discussion on how the significant investment required will be funded.
“We are therefore calling on long term funding support from the Scottish Government to enable housing associations to continue to lead on energy efficiency and renewables and to provide their tenants with affordable warmth.”
WWF Scotland deemed the plans as a step in the right direction, however the Scottish Greens said the government needs to pick up the pace in helping make Scotland’s homes warmer.
