SSE has unveiled a £5.4m programme to help tackle fuel poverty in rural areas.

The energy firm has said the scheme could reduce bills for 2,000 Scottish homes through a range of energy efficiency measures.

The new funding will be made up of £1.4m from the Scottish Government's Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland (HEEPS), as well as up to £4m from SSE under its Energy Company Obligations (ECO).

SSE has said it will now be working with eight councils across Scotland to implement the initiative. Those homeowners or tenants living in privately rented accommodation, and in receipt of certain benefits, will receive free boilers and insulation to help reduce household energy use and heating bills.

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Prior to this new partnership, SSE identified that many eligible homes in rural locations were unable to receive these free energy efficiency measures through ECO alone due to the high costs. However, the additional funding secured from the Scottish Government means more homes will be eligible for energy efficiency measures that might otherwise be uneconomical to deliver.

Commenting on the scheme, Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: "Rising energy bills remain a huge concern for this government. The Scottish Government's funding will potentially see thousands of homes receive measures like new boilers and loft and cavity wall insulation.

"To help tackle fuel poverty we are actively working with councils and energy companies to ensure that Scotland continues to get its fair share of funding for efficiency programmes like these."

SSE's Area Development Manager, David Smith added: "This scheme is one of the many projects we are committed to under the Energy Company Obligation.

"It's important that we tackle the problem of fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency of homes is a key way of achieving that."

(JP)