Energy efficiency funds available to householders

Orkney Islands Council has a £1.1m fund from the Scottish Government for 2016/17 to assist home owners, private sector tenants and landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

Funding is available for

• Loft insulation.
• Internal Wall insulation.
• External Wall insulation (for solid wall properties).
• (Under) Floor insulation.
• Upgrading heating systems for households with existing storage heaters.

To be eligible, the property must be your main residence and within Council Tax Bands A-D. The maximum funding per property is £7,500. However, a higher grant award of £9,000 can be considered where the applicant will contribute £1,000.

Steven Aberdein, Orkney Islands Council’s fuel poverty officer said: “With fuel poverty an issue for so many households in Orkney, we want to ensure all of the HEEPS ABS money available to the county is utilised.

“However, for this years’ funding, all installations need to be completed by May 31, 2017,  so we’d urge anyone with problems keeping their home warm to make that first call to Firefly Energi (Orkney) now and arrange for a survey to see if there are measures for your home which could be funded.”

For further information and/or to register for this scheme, contact Firefly Energi (Orkney) Ltd, who have been appointed by the council to manage the initiative, on (01856) 881151 or email info@fireflyenergi.co.uk.