SSE and Perth and Kinross Council will be able to extend a programme of energy-saving home insulation measures taking place in the city thanks to additional £1.9m from the Scottish Government.
The news came as Housing Minister Margaret Burgess visited Perth to view the progress of the innovative home energy efficiency programme being carried out by the council and SSE.
The scheme will see 159 ‘hard to treat’ houses in Hillyland fitted with externally applied wall insulation, initially benefitting 119 Council tenants and 40 home-owners. The offer is now being extended to a further 88 homeowners in Hillyland.
The project will also see all of the Council’s 389 timber-framed homes in North Muirton fitted with external insulation cladding. Around 300 private homeowners in the area are expected to take up the offer of subsidised work.
The multi-million pound insulation work will help reduce the energy bills of households who take part and also help to reduce their carbon footprint.
The project is a partnership by the Council under the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programmes Area Based Schemes (HEEPS-ABS) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).
A bid for HEEPS-ABS funding of £1,216,881 was announced in June by the Scottish Government. The grant was awarded on the basis that the Council had also secured ECO funding from SSE to help pay for insulation measures to privately owned and privately rented houses as well as the Council’s own housing stock.
Today’s announcement of a further £1.9m by the Scottish Government will enable the programme to be rolled out further and benefit even more local households.
Housing Minister, Margaret Burgess, said: "Basic energy efficiency measures can make a huge difference to families in Perth and Kinross who are struggling to make ends meet, allowing them to heat their homes more cost effectively.
"Today’s funding will see hundreds of homes across the council area receive new measures like solid wall insulation- helping to drive down the number of people struggling to pay their fuel bills. This further investment will also help to generate work and support jobs - providing a much needed boost to the local economy."
Council Leader, Councillor Ian Miller, welcomed the Minister to Perth and said: "This is an excellent scheme which has provided us with the opportunity to attract external funding to upgrade housing stock across Perth and Kinross. I was delighted to receive the news that we are to be awarded an additional £1.9m. This will attract significant top-up funding from SSE under the ECO scheme, and will help to make a positive difference to the lives of many of our residents."
Dave McEvoy, SSE's Area Development Manager for Scotland added: "SSE is delighted to be playing an integral part in this important project and helping bring these energy efficiency improvements to the residents in Perth. We’re already receiving positive feedback on the work already carried out and the additional funding provided by the Scottish Government means even more Perth residents are set to benefit, which is great news."
Pensioner Margaret Baker, who has lived in Perth’s Hillyland estate since 1991, is pleased with the improvements. She added: "My home is a lot warmer. Even when the first insulation panels were put on I felt the difference and it will hopefully help reduce my bills too.
"It’s also good to see the new look to the exterior of the buildings. The place looks a lot nicer."