Home Energy Scotland – Warmer Homes

ADVERTORIAL: Home Energy Scotland is here to help Orkney householders have a warmer home and lower bills

With winter around the corner, many people’s thoughts are now turning to home heating and energy costs, which are rarely out of the news these days.

Ofgem’s regular energy price cap announcements usually generate a lot of headlines, and you might have heard that from 1 October the price cap was set at £1,923 a year for a typical household using gas and electricity and paying by direct debit.

It’s also important to remember that the price cap is set using average energy consumption figures so households using more energy than average, in rural and island areas, or those using prepayment meters, will spend more than the price cap level – especially if they have storage heating or an electric boiler.

There is some good news, though, as there is local support available to help people in the county to have warmer homes, lower energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint too. Home Energy Scotland’s staff in Orkney and across the Highlands and Islands are working hard to provide free, impartial advice on energy efficiency and signposting local householders to current financial support that they might be eligible for.

Michael Cromby, Home Energy Scotland’s Home Energy Specialist in Orkney, said: “In 2022/23 we received nearly 2,000 requests for impartial advice from Orkney householders. We always want to help as many local people as possible, and our advisors are ready to answer your questions about the cost of heating your home and ways to make it warmer and more comfortable.” Home Energy Scotland helps people in Scotland create warmer homes, reduce their energy bills, and lower their carbon footprint. We are funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Energy Saving Trust.

Our tailored advice is specific to you and your home, and we can help you find out if you’re eligible for financial support from Warmer Homes Scotland, the Home Energy Scotland Grant & Loan and more. You could also benefit from a rural uplift grant which provides extra support to rural and island homes which can face increased costs to install home improvements.

We can also advise you on other steps to warm your home, such as:

• Improving insulation
• Upgrading your heating system
• Draught proofing and glazing for winter
• Understanding your heating controls.

Contact us
Visit homeenergyscotland.org for more information and to use our contact form to ask us to call you back, or call Home Energy Scotland free on 0808 808 2282 for impartial energy advice and to discuss current available funding options.