A leading solar panel installation company is urging homeowners to act quickly if they want to make their properties more eco-friendly after a surprise announcement by the government to axe their home renewables grant scheme.

Solar Power Scotland said the decision – it had been expected the grants would remain on offer for another six months – means people only have three weeks left to make an application for financial assistance to install the likes of solar thermal water heating.

The closing date for the Energy Saving Trust Scotland home renewables grant scheme – an initiative that currently provides homeowners with 30% of the cost of installing a renewable heating system at their property, up to a maximum of £4,000 – will be 5.30pm on Friday 23rd July.

Energy Minister Jim Mather said the scheme was to end due to “unprecedented demand” for the grants, which have helped provide eco-friendly energy at thousands of households in Scotland over the past three years.

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But John Conway, operations director for Solar Power Scotland, said the decision will come as a shattering blow to both homeowners who want to go green – and the government’s own carbon emissions reduction campaign.

He said: “This has come as a real bolt out of the blue. The first we were aware of this was when we got an e mail late on Friday afternoon from the Energy Saving Trust advising of the government announcement.

“We had no knowledge, despite being the major provider of solar panels in the Scottish domestic market, that the grant scheme was to be shelved this early. It’s very disappointing that the scheme has been stopped, because it is has been an important and successful method of promoting renewable energy to people across Scotland.

“Almost 3000 households have taken advantage of the grants and many more could have benefitted if they had been available for another year or so. What this now means is that anyone planning to install renewable energy system needs to act immediately to contact companies like Solar Power Scotland if they want to take advantage of the funding."

In the past month, Scotland’s efforts in promoting renewable energy have not only been praised by UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, but they have also been presented to the Environment Council in Luxembourg as a prime example of how small countries can tackle climate change. Solar Power Scotland believe that by scrapping the home renewables grants scheme, it will be difficult to maintain this high reputation.

Solar Power Scotland is one of Scotland’s leading renewable energy providers and specialises in installing solar thermal systems that provide hot water for domestic properties. It has already installed hundreds of solar panels in homes throughout Scotland.

The Renfrewshire-based firm is an MCS accredited company, making it eligible to provide the Energy Saving Trust Scotland home renewables grants.

(GK/KMcA)