Argyll and Bute Council’s Home Energy Efficiency Team is committed to helping home owners and private-rented landlords and tenants in Argyll and Bute improve the energy efficiency of their homes by offering non means tested grants for insulation measures.
Effective insulation contributes towards lowering fuel bills, reducing fuel poverty and in turn reducing harmful carbon emissions, ensuring you can live in a warm, comfortable home.
Through the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (ABS) non repayable grants are available to eligible homeowners and privately rented landlords and tenants to retrofit the following energy efficiency measures to your home:
- External wall insulation
- Park Home Insulation
- Internal wall insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Loft insulation
- Underfloor insulation
- Room-in-Roof Insulation
(Following a successful application the Council’s trusted Contractors BCA Insulation will determine the most suitable insulation measure(s) for your property)
Housing Association tenants should contact their Landlord in the first instance for advice and assistance.
Who is Eligible?
To qualify, you must be a homeowner or a privately rented landlord or tenant and be in Council Tax Band A, B or C
Homeowners in Council Tax Band D are also eligible if the property has an energy rating (EPC rating) of E to G
Island-based Homeowners, in addition to the above, in Council Tax Band E to H are eligible to apply to the Scheme if the property has an energy rating (EPC rating) of E to G. (subject to approval)
- Properties must be occupied and lived in on a full-time basis and be your main place of residence.
- Empty properties are not eligible.
- Second home and holiday let properties are not eligible.
- Grants will be approved subject to budget availability at the time of application.
- As this is a retrofit Scheme properties should not be under renovation.
If you do not meet criteria above there may be alternative funding options available to you through Home Energy Scotland – see “How to Enquire” below.
How to Enquire
To find out if you are eligible please contact our referral partner Home Energy Scotland free on 0808 808 2282.
Home Energy Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government, provides free and impartial advice and support to help you stay warm, make the best use of energy and save money on your energy bills.
They will help you find out if you are eligible for an ABS grant and at the same time offer you helpful energy saving information, discuss alternative funding options or signpost other agencies that they feel may be helpful to you.
Call free on 0808 808 2282 to speak to a Home Energy Scotland advisor or you can get more information at:
In addition, Home Energy Scotland may be able to give advice on other funding support, for example:
Warmer Homes Scotland - This programme is funded by the Scottish Government and offers funding and support to eligible households struggling to stay warm and keep on top of energy bills
Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan - can provide interest free loan funding for energy efficiency measures or to install renewable measures such as heat pumps or battery storage. Grant funding may also be available, please check current position with Home Energy Scotland.
Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan - is available in addition to ABS grants to support landlords which are ineligible for ABS to install energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to reduce the EPC rating of the property in line with Scottish Government Regulations.
Fuel Poverty
Current Scottish legislation describes a fuel poor household as one where:
- more than 10% (20% for extreme fuel poverty) of net income is required to pay for their reasonable fuel needs after housing costs have been deducted
- the remaining household income is not enough to maintain an acceptable standard of living, defined as at least 90% of the UK Minimum Income Standard (MIS) once childcare costs and disability or care benefits are deducted
The legislation provides for uplifts to be applied to the MIS for households rural and island communities to take into account the higher cost of living in these areas.
(Source: Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act)
The Council’s Welfare Rights Team aims to ensure that the residents of Argyll and Bute are not missing out on their entitlement to benefits and other related help by providing a free, confidential and impartial benefits advice, information and appeal representation service.
How to contact the Welfare Rights Team:
You can refer yourself (or someone else) to the Welfare Rights Team using the Online Form
Or you can phone and speak to Welfare Rights by calling 01546 605517.
Climate Change
Argyll and Bute Council have produced a Decarbonisation Plan to address Climate Change and are working towards being a ‘net zero’ organisation by 2045. The plan supports and promotes activities undertaken by the Council’s Climate Change Board.
Climate change is expected to influence warmer, wetter weather in Scotland, providing more irregular and harsher weather conditions. This will have an adverse effect on housing through increased levels of condensation, damp and mould.
The Scottish Government’s Climate Change (Emissions Reductions Targets)(Scotland) Act 2019 sets targets to reduce Scotland’s emission of all greenhouse gases to net-zero by 2045 at the latest, with interim targets for reduction of at least 75% by 2030 based on 1990 levels and 100% by 2045 (net-zero emissions)
Argyll and Bute Council are working towards these targets through the various energy efficiency programmes and initiatives described within the Decarbonisation Plan. This ensures that we are working towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change, and ensuring that advice and support is in place to assist people to live a more sustainable and energy efficient lifestyle.
Contact
If you have any queries regarding any of the information above please contact:
Jacqueline Westerman, Home Energy Efficiency Project Officer
Tel: 01586 555943
E-Mail: jacqueline.westerman@argyll-bute.gov.uk
or
Brenda Galbraith, Housing Improvement Assistant - Energy Efficiency
Tel: 01546 604254
Email: brenda.galbraith@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Or write to the Team at:
Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory, Lochgilphead PA31 8RT
Argyll & Bute Council ECO4 Statement
For further information or access to a signed copy of the Council’s ECO4 Statement of Intent please contact us.