Perth and Kinross Council has said residents of 159 homes in the Hillyland area of Perth are to receive free home insulation.

The initiative is part of energy efficiency works being carried out by the local authority, in partnership with energy company SSE.

Funding for the scheme is being provided by the new national Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland – Area Based Schemes (HEEPS-ABS), which makes money available to local councils to subsequently help homeowners carry out energy efficiency work on houses in the area.

One of the main elements of the HEEPS-ABS programme is a requirement for the Council to source supplementary funding from energy companies, known as Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

Following negotiations with a number of energy companies, SSE offered to contribute £1.1m to fit externally applied insulation and rendering to 159 concrete houses in Hillyland.

-- Advertisement --

This will provide benefits for 119 council tenants and 40 owner-occupiers.

The Scottish Government has given the Council a provisional core allocation of £1,216,881 for 2013/14 under the HEEPS-ABS scheme. A portion of this money will be used to part-fund the Hillyland scheme, as well as help to provide free or subsidised energy efficiency measures for other householders across Perth and Kinross.

The scheme will also be rolled out to include timber frames homes in North Muirton later this year under a separate funding package, but again with assistance from SSE.

Housing and Health Convener, Councillor Dave Doogan, said: "We submitted an in-depth proposal for how we would use HEEPS-ABS funding to the Scottish Government, and were delighted that it was approved. I believe that our preparation and detailed programme has helped us to gain a bigger share of funding than we might have otherwise received and I'm delighted that our approach in this area will directly benefit residents in Hillyland.

"This scheme is something that will be especially welcome in the current economic climate. It will provide people with warm homes, helping them to save money on heating and reduce their carbon footprint. The work will also improve the visual aspect of the buildings and so will benefit the wider community."

Dave McEvoy, SSE's Area Development Manager for Scotland added: "Already the next stage of works are at the planning stage and many Council residents and private home owners will be contacted in the next few weeks and months to offer them similar upgrades of their properties. We are really pleased to improve local homes to a higher standard of energy efficiency, bringing this work into the city of Perth, the home of SSE, is a real win for everyone all round."

(JP/CD)