Tag: home energy scotland

New campaign offers residents advice and support with energy bills

Edinburgh residents struggling with rising energy costs are being offered advice and support with their bills as part of a city-wide campaign aimed at helping those most in need.

Run by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Changeworks and Home Energy Scotland, the campaign seeks to support people experiencing, or most at risk from, fuel poverty with energy savings advice so they can save money on their bills.

As well as helping residents find out if they’re eligible for grants or funding for energy efficiency home improvements, help is also being offered to people dealing with fuel debt and high energy

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In key areas of the city, home owners and private tenants are being urged to call Home Energy Scotland for support, free on 0808 808 2282 and Council tenants are being urged to call the Energy Advice Service for free on 0800 870 8800.

They can also visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/EnergyAdvice for more information.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This valuable campaign comes at a time when many households across the city will be faced with a choice of heating their homes or eating – due to rising food and energy bills as well as a £1,000 cut in universal credit payments for those who need support most- all contributing to this cost of living crisis.

“We want to do all we can to help make sure people most at need are able to access the advice and support available to them so that they can live in warmer, more comfortable homes.

“I urge anyone in the city struggling with their bills to call Home Energy Scotland or the Energy Advice Service so they can get the support they need today.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day added: “Rising home energy costs are leaving many people across Edinburgh worried about how they will pay their gas and electricity bills.

“We want to make sure that people know there is help and support there for them. If you’re a Council tenant, this is through our Energy Advice Service, run in partnership with Changeworks, and for people who own their own home, support is there from Home Energy Scotland.

“Their advisors have lots of excellent advice and tips to help people save money on bills so get in touch as they will be happy to share them. Making a few small changes can add up to a big difference.”

Laura Webb, Fuel Poverty and Low Carbon Operations Director at Changeworks said: “Through our work delivering the Home Energy Scotland service in the South East of Scotland and providing the Energy Advice Service for City of Edinburgh Council tenants we have seen increasing demand for support as people find themselves struggling with high bills and fuel debt.

“Our expert advisors are here to help and are already working hard to help Edinburgh residents save money and lessen the impacts of rising fuel costs.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council on this campaign and encourage the people of Edinburgh to get in touch for further support.”

Last year, 790 Council tenants were supported through the Energy Advice Service with gas and electricity billing issues and with support around supplier debt. The service also gained around £170,000 of savings for the tenants.

Home Energy Scotland has also helped 24,000 homeowners and private tenants across Scotland to benefit from the Scottish Government funded Warmer Homes Scotland programme since it launched in 2015. Eight out of ten have received completely free energy efficiency improvements, with each of them also saving on average around £300 on their energy bills per year.

Home Energy Scotland is a free advice service funded by the Scottish Government. They work hand in hand with the Council’s Energy Advice Service to make sure people in Edinburgh get all the support they need from their friendly advisors.

Keep cosy and save money

With home energy costs rising, many of us are worrying about our gas and electricity bills. The City of Edinburgh Council is working in partnership with Changeworks and Home Energy Scotland to help keep you and your home warm for less.

Their friendly advisors are on hand to give you:

  • free energy saving advice to help save money on your bills
  • support with fuel debt
  • help to find out if you’re eligible for any grants or funding for energy efficiency home improvements.

If you’re a Council tenant you can contact the Energy Advice Service for free by phoning 0800 870 8800, emailing warmth@changeworks.org.uk or visiting www.changeworks.org.uk

If you’re a home owner or private renter you can contact Home Energy Scotland for free advice on 0808 808 2282 or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org

Training for Home Energy Scotland staff to help combat climate change

Keep Scotland Beautiful supports Home Energy Scotland to become certified as Carbon Literate

Working with Home Energy Scotland, environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has developed and delivered bespoke Climate Emergency Training to staff, embedding carbon literacy into the expert practical advice they provide to help people reduce their carbon emissions and keep warm at home.

Since 2019, over 100 people from the Home Energy Scotland network have participated in Climate Emergency Training, including frontline advisors from all areas of the service. 

Home Energy Scotland’s expert advisors offer free, impartial advice on installing energy efficiency measures such as low and zero emissions heating systems, active travel and sustainable transport options, energy saving behaviour change, cutting water waste and more, with the aim of tackling climate change and addressing fuel poverty.

The training sessions explored the science and impacts of climate change and highlighted practical steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Home Energy Scotland staff began by reviewing their own carbon footprint. 

They also learnt new constructive approaches for discussing the climate emergency with householders and helping them make the connections between saving energy, money on their energy bills and reducing the carbon emissions that cause climate change.

Participants were asked to select both an individual and a group action to reduce carbon emissions, demonstrating their learning and understanding of carbon emission sources and solutions. Those who pass will receive a Carbon Literate accreditation.

Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland said: “Our advisors, specialists and support teams already do an incredible job helping people across Scotland to reduce their energy use and keep warm at home.

“This training consolidates their knowledge in the context of carbon saving and gives them assurance to relate this advice to tackling climate change.

“We recognise the vital importance of this training and are excited to continue our partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful to develop our future capacity to deliver accredited Climate Emergency Training in-house.”

Catherine Gee, Deputy Chief Executive for Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We are delighted to have developed bespoke Climate Emergency Training for Home Energy Scotland.

“The climate crisis and Scotland’s journey to net zero is going to require all of us to develop new skills and knowledge, so we are extremely pleased that so many Home Energy Scotland staff have participated in this training and can apply it to their roles.

“We look forward to working with Home Energy Scotland further and helping them embed Climate Emergency Training in their operations.”

Keep Scotland Beautiful is the only Scottish-based organisation to have attained Gold Carbon Literate Organisation status and is the official partner in Scotland for the award-winning Carbon Literacy Project, who provide independent accreditation for the Climate Emergency Training.

In May 2019, the Scottish Government declared a climate emergency and has pledged to drastically reduce emissions from Scotland in the next 10 years. This will mean new legislation and technology that will bring significant changes to the way that we do life and business in Scotland.

With the United Nations COP26 climate conference having just taken place in Glasgow the eyes of the world are on climate action in Scotland like never before. Now is the time to take action.

Climate Emergency Training is available for all businesses, with additional options for bespoke training.

Please contact Keep Scotland Beautiful to find out more, or visit: 

www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/climate-emergency-training

Support available to help you save on heating bills this winter

An additional £18 million will be available this year to help householders install energy efficient measures and reduce their heating bills, bringing the total support available through Home Energy Scotland to £50 million in 2021-2022.

People in Edinburgh and across the country are being urged to seek support and advice from Home Energy Scotland to help make their homes warmer and reduce their heating bills, on average by up to £300 per year.

Financial support worth up to £5,000 is also available to make homes more energy efficient through improvements like home insulation or a new heating system.

Home Energy Scotland also supports households with practical advice and, where appropriate, install energy efficient measures – making homes more energy efficient and saving householders money.

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings Patrick Harvie, said: “As the colder weather returns and given the concern around rising energy bills, we want to ensure people living in Edinburgh and around Scotland are aware of the support available to keep their homes warm this winter.

“Home Energy Scotland offers advice, support and funding to help people make energy saving improvements, helping them reduce their energy costs.

“The free impartial advice and support is available for anyone concerned about paying their energy bills and we would urge people struggling with their fuel bills to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland.”

Recent research by Home Energy Scotland shows that 70% of people in Scotland feel concerned about energy bills rising, with almost two thirds using more energy than usual during the first 12 months of the pandemic. The research also found that 59% of Scots have noticed a worrying rise in their energy bills already.

Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland said: “24,000 households across the country including Edinburgh have already benefited from new energy efficient measures, like a new heating system or insulation, by getting in contact with Home Energy Scotland.

“But with people spending more time at home over the past 18 months due to coronavirus, energy usage has been greater than ever. We therefore want to be able to help even more people to make energy saving improvements to their home.

“A home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50% of its heat through its roof and walls so making improvements can help your finances and make your home more energy efficient, comfortable and cheaper to heat while helping lower emissions in Scotland”.

Help your workmates save money and stay warm this winter

Many of us have been working from home since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Research from June 2020 (PDF) showed most Scots felt their energy use increased during lockdown, and almost 60% of households were worried about their bills going up as a result.

As lockdown measures continue and cold weather means the heating is on for longer, you and your workmates might need some help to manage your energy costs while keeping warm at home.

Learn simple ways to stay warm at home

The good news is, we can help. As well as impartial advice to householders, we also offer fun and interactive online workshops for employers across Scotland.

Workshops are completely free and can be tailored to suit your workplace. And they’re a great way to connect with and support your colleagues, especially when many may be concerned about rising bills.

You and your workmates will pick up practical tips to reduce your bills and keep your home warm, like:

  • Getting to know your heating controls, so you can get the best out of your heating system and make your home more comfortable
  • Keeping the heat in by draught-proofing your home
  • Making sure you’re not wasting energy – just turning your appliances off instead of leaving them on standby could save you £30 a year
  • Finding out what support is available to help you make your home warmer and more energy efficient through energy saving home improvements

We’d love to help you and your colleagues stay warm this winter – email us to book your workshop. We also offer workshops on travelling sustainably (for essential journeys of course!), and saving water in partnership with Scottish Water. If getting everyone together for an online workshop will be tricky, our home energy e-learning is also full of useful advice on saving energy and money at home

Pick up tips to make the food shop go further

While we’re all cutting down on supermarket trips and many household budgets are getting tighter, it helps to make the food shop go further. Love Food Hate Waste workshops, delivered by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of Zero Waste Scotland, can help attendees save up to £437 a year by reducing food waste, through simple tips like: 

  • Menu planning, to make sure you don’t buy more than you use and don’t have to dash out for missing ingredients
  • Storing food correctly so it lasts longer
  • Using up leftovers and kitchen cupboard ingredients with crafty recipes

Interested? Get in touch to book a workshop.

Support for communities as well as workplaces

We also offer free online workshops for community groups on saving energy and water at home, travelling sustainably, and cutting food waste.

These are a great way to get your community group together remotely.

Find out more about our support for communities, and drop us an email if you’d like to book a workshop.

Surge in calls to Home Energy Scotland helpline

Scots are being urged to seek support and advice from Home Energy Scotland to reduce heating bills and make their homes warmer and more energy efficient, as increasing numbers of households seek advice on ways to cut energy bills.

A recent survey shows that with more people working from home since the start of the pandemic, almost half of those (44%) worry this will lead to an increase in unaffordable energy bills.

The Scottish Government-funded Home Energy Scotland advice service has seen a significant increase in demand since July 2020. The average number of calls to the free advice service has risen by 95% compared with the same six-month period last year. In its busiest weeks, calls were up more than 200% on the same dates in 2019.

Through Home Energy Scotland, the Scottish Government offers support and funding to help reduce bills and save energy. This includes help worth up to £5,000 to make homes more energy efficient through the Warmer Homes Scotland programme.

Help is still available for householders throughout lockdown, with strict safety protocols in place for installation of essential home heating measures under this programme.  

People are also encouraged to contact Home Energy Scotland to find out how they can make their home more energy efficient. Interest-free loans with cashback of up to 75% are available for a variety of measures such as solid wall insulation, double glazing or a new renewable heating system. 

Loan offers are valid for a year so householders in mainland Scotland can prepare now for installations when lockdown is lifted.

Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Kevin Stewart, said: “We want to ensure that people are able to get all the help and support available to them to keep warm and safe in their home especially during the winter. 

“That is why we acted quickly and have taken action to ensure that appropriate support is available for those struggling with increased household energy bills as a result of the pandemic.

“I am really pleased that our award winning Home Energy Scotland service has adapted its approach during the pandemic and has continued to provide a range of free impartial advice and support for anyone concerned about paying their energy bills.  I would urge anyone struggling with their fuel bills to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland.”

Harry Mayers, Head of Home Energy Scotland, said: “Home Energy Scotland helps householders with both practical and financial support. This year calls to our helpline have risen sharply, with more than 2,000 people turning to us each week for advice on how to reduce their heating bills, save money and keep their household warm.

“As well as financial support, our advisors help customers identify practical savings they can make at home, either by changing the way they use energy or carrying out energy-saving home improvements. We can also help people access further support through our network of partners across health, social care and other areas of advice.”

Home Energy Scotland from the Scottish Government provides clear and impartial advice on reducing bills and saving energy – call 0808 808 2282 or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org

Renewable heat scheme for homeowners

Support to reduce energy usage

A new £4.5 million cashback incentive to help people install renewable and energy efficiency measures in their homes has been announced by the Scottish Government.

Homeowners will be able to apply for 75% cashback up to the value of £7,500 towards the cost of a renewable heating system and a further 40% cashback up to £6,000 for energy efficiency measures.

This is in addition to the £4 million renewable heat cashback scheme for SMEs which opened for applications last week.

Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “This new scheme is part of our ongoing work to support people to install renewable heat measures and the improve energy efficiency in homes across Scotland while we also seek to stimulate development of local supply chains. 

“The Scottish Government already provides a substantial free advice and support service to Scottish households to support them to make the transition to renewable heat and improve energy efficiency in their homes.

“Through this new cashback incentive homeowners could receive up to £13,500 of Scottish Government support, helping them to improve energy efficiency in their homes, reduce energy usage and save money on their bills.

“This new scheme is part of our action to reduce emissions from heating our buildings and to support a green economic recovery from COVID-19 and I hope suitably qualified businesses are able to also pick up some valuable local work. Our wider package of work to support the recovery includes a £4 million renewable heat cashback scheme which opened to SMEs last week.”

The cashback offering for owners of domestic premises is an extension of the Home Energy Scotland loan scheme which offers interest free loans for those wishing to install renewable and energy efficiency measures in their homes.

Through the new offering, £4.5 million will be allocated across the new incentive to offer homeowners a 75% cash back up to £7,500 for renewable heat measures and an enhanced 40% cashback for energy efficiency measures up to £6,000. Both incentives operate on a first-come-first-served basis until the end of financial year 2020/21.

More information about the cashback grant scheme to encourage homeowners can be found on the Home Energy Scotland website.

More information about the SME loan scheme cashback, which launched last week, including how to apply, is available on the Zero Waste Scotland website.

The lifestyle quiz that helps you save …

Doug & Dora rose

How much money could you save by turning your thermostat down by 1°C, or not leaving your electrical appliances on standby? How much electricity can you save by washing your clothes at 30°C?

Answer correctly and you could cut £155 or more off your energy bills, and have a chance to win £100 or £50 in gift vouchers, in a prize draw being run by Home Energy Scotland.

The answers are among five useful tips included in a quiz leaflet, ‘Your chance to win – and reduce your energy bills.’

Watch out for the leaflet in Council mailings or call Home Energy Scotland free for a copy on 0808 808 2282.

Jill Fenton, Manager at Home Energy Scotland advice centre in the South East said “This quiz shows how easy it is for people to make simple changes to save energy, reduce their fuel bills and cut their carbon emissions. It’s a fun way to help people to remember.”

Home Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to offer free, impartial advice on making your home cheaper to heat. For in-depth advice on how to reduce your energy bills or become more energy efficient, freephone Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 or text WARM to 81025.

Nikki, a young mum of two, who called Home Energy Scotland said “If I had a friend who needed help with heating their home or paying their energy bills, I’d say call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 and find out what they can do to help”