The City of Edinburgh Council has welcomed the announcement of up to £10m of Scottish Government investment for Edinburgh to make Council buildings greener.

The funding, which forms part of the Government's Green Growth Accelerator programme, will see work start on energy efficiency improvements in up to 12 Council buildings – supporting Edinburgh's drive towards net zero emissions by 2030.

The buildings will be retrofitted to be more energy efficient and to facilitate the deployment of low/zero carbon heating primary plant The improvements will lower the total amount of energy used in the buildings treated and minimise their carbon emissions.

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The initial £1m investment in the city, part of a suite of government funding across Scotland, follows on from the Council investing £500,000 in one off, additional funding in May, to improve Council estate carbon performance to meet the climate challenge by identifying shovel-ready projects.

The Government funding will be used to unlock local low carbon capital investment in Edinburgh and encourage the creation of new local jobs and skills.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: "We very much welcome the announcement today of support from the Scottish Government to help bring Edinburgh’s public buildings up to high energy efficiency standards.

"The age, range, and complexity of the Council’s operational estate means the costs of retrofitting large operational buildings to become net zero is significant.

"This is more than just an investment in the Council’s buildings. It’s an investment in the local supply chain, developing green construction skills and creating jobs.

"This has been made possible thanks to £500,000 of additional funding we agreed in May to improve the Council estate. It’s a fantastic example of how investing in climate action can bring benefits to the whole city and support a just transition to net zero."