The £1,938,834 from the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland - Area Based Schemes (HEEPS ABS) will pay for insulation to homes around Perth and Kinross during 2024/25.

The work will make the households easier to heat, bringing down the fuel consumption of residents and reducing their carbon footprint.

HEEPS ABS, a Scottish Government initiative to tackle fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency in homes, was launched in 2013. To date, Perth & Kinross Council has secured over £17.5m through the scheme to carry out energy efficiency upgrades on local homes.

More than 2,000 households across Perth and Kinross have already benefitted from external or internal insulation work, as well as cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.

Work is targeted at improving houses that were built using non-traditional building methods and are often very hard to treat. The upgrades can be fully funded for homeowners and private landlords using a combination of grants from the Scottish Government.

The announcement of the latest award will allow the council to plan projects for 2024/25.

Last year under the scheme:

• 60 homes in Hillyland, Perth and 33 homes in Letham, Perth were fitted with internal wall insulation
• 179 homes in Perth City, Kinross, Crieff and Coupar Angus were fitted with external wall insulation.

The council’s Housing and Social Wellbeing convener, Councillor Tom McEwan, said: “Tackling fuel poverty is one of our main strategic objectives as a Council, so this latest round of funding for our HEEPS programme is very welcome indeed.

“The insulation work on local homes, many of which are classed as ‘hard to heat’ will make a huge difference to the lives of tenants and residents. It will mean that properties are warmer and that fuel bills are kept lower, which is very important at this time of rising costs.

“Making local homes as energy efficient as they can be is also vital to support the council’s contribution towards the national target for net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

“Fuel poverty continues to be a problem right across Scotland, made worse by the cost-of-living crisis, but it is something we remain determined to tackle in Perth and Kinross. Everyone has the right to live in a warm home and this successful insulation programme is helping us to achieve that for our residents.”