A national fuel poverty scheme funded by the Scottish government will be launched in September to bolster efforts to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland, transforming the way customers receive energy efficiency services.
The new scheme is a step-by-step experience for customers in Scotland to help householders from start to finish, making their homes warmer and more comfortable.
It will bring improved comfort and financial benefits to tens of thousands of Scottish people by reducing carbon dioxide levels and improving Scotland’s housing stock.
Three organisations will form the joint venture ‘Warmworks Scotland’ and ensure support is available at a national level for households as part of a contract worth up to £224 million over a seven-year term. The new scheme will launch in September 2015.
Changeworks, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and Everwarm, part of the Lakehouse plc, will join forces to provide full support from insulation and heating to microgeneration measures, to households suffering from fuel poverty across Scotland, targeting lower-income families.
Mike Thornton, EST director of government services, said: “This will give people living in fuel poverty really practical support. The initiative provides a more integrated step-by-step service to customers, from the initial referral through to the installation and beyond.
“Each customer will receive their own personal adviser and be supported through any complex issue or challenge they may face. This project will continue to help improve the lives of people in Scotland by making their homes warmer and more comfortable.”
Teresa Bray, Changeworks chief executive, said: “We believe the successful approach for a fuel poverty project of this scale demands an alternative delivery model. We’ve bonded the skills and expertise of two leading social enterprises with the private sector to deliver a high quality public service to tackle fuel poverty. This delivery model offers new opportunities to provide effective and efficient services to help struggling households in rural and urban Scotland.”
Michael McMahon, managing director at Everwarm, said: “This partnership brings together stable funding, the strongest policy expertise and on-the-ground practical support to take a new approach to energy efficiency.
“We have a successful track record of designing and installing a range of energy efficiency measures and experience of delivering on a national scale. Over the next five years, we will be harnessing major government investment to install improvements in thousands of homes in Scotland. This is an important step in addressing fuel poverty and helping residents understand the opportunities of energy efficiency and access support.”