Government cash to help tackle fuel poverty
Orkney is to received £1,343,167 to help tackle fuel poverty as part of the Scottish Government’s £60 million Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland (HEEPS).
The investment, which is targeted at fuel poor households across Scotland, will be used for the installation of energy efficiency measures such as solid wall, cavity and loft insulation.
Around £42 million will be split between the 32 councils while the remaining £18 million will be made available to local authorities to develop larger scale schemes.
Orkney is second only to the Western Isles in Scotland’s fuel poverty league table, with an estimated 54 per cent of households having to spend more than ten per cent of their income on fuel.