Sustainability Team: Neal Lochrie, Kate Dickens and Blair Tannock
The Energy & Sustainability team would like to remind all Council staff that help is available for North Ayrshire residents who need financial support to make their homes more energy efficient.
The Council’s Energy Smart programme of energy efficiency measures supports privately-owned and private-tenant households on low incomes to boost insulation at their properties.
The Energy Smart funding is part of the Council’s Cost-of-Living-Crisis support and is available now on a first-come-first-served basis.
The range of measures available includes:
- Cavity wall insulation
- Hard-to-treat cavity wall insulation
- Under-floor insulation
- Heating controls and programmers
- Loft insulation
- High heat retention storage heaters
- Draught proofing and
- LED bulbs.
To be eligible for Energy Smart funding your household’s gross income must be less than £43,662 and proof of income will be required. Multiple measures can be installed but there is a limit to the grant per household.
Grant funding could be available to you – if you are a Council employee who lives in North Ayrshire – or a client or customer you come into contact with during the course of your day-to-day Council business.
Jennifer Wraith, Senior Manager for Energy and Sustainability, explained: “Small changes can often help make a big difference in people’s homes. The measures available help to stop heat from escaping, in turn helping residents to use less energy to heat their homes, saving money on bills.
“We want to help people make their homes more energy efficient, and we can do this through the Energy Smart programme.”
As well as the financial benefits, making properties more energy efficient also helps people stay warm and prevent illness – and cuts greenhouse gas emissions, reducing North Ayrshire’s carbon footprint.
We want to help people make their homes more energy efficient, and we can do this through the Energy Smart programme – Jennifer Wraith, Senior Manager – Sustainability
Residents can register their interest online for this scheme with the Council’s managing agent, M-Four, or by calling 0800 471 4738.
Successful applicants will be contacted by the Council’s installer, Valley Group, to arrange a survey and discuss the measures suitable for your home.
Information on other energy efficiency funding available in North Ayrshire can be found below with more details on the Council’s Energy Management webpage.
Help to spread the word!
Jennifer and her team want to ensure as many colleagues as possible are aware of the Energy Smart offer in case they can benefit from it.
They would also appreciate some help in getting the Energy Smart information to residents across the six Localities who need it most, and have had 5000 information flyers printed to distribute to residents.
Whether you work in the Health and Social Care Partnership, Education, Housing or Customer Service, you may be in a position to help spread the word to residents about the available funding.
The Energy & Sustainability team would appreciate colleagues taking some time to think how they can help. For example, you may have a staff training event or community event coming up that would offer a good opportunity to distribute the flyers.
Jennifer added: “Whatever service you work in, you might come into contact with residents who could benefit from this funding, and we would appreciate help in getting these flyers to them – to the people who genuinely need support.”
If you come into contact with a resident – or indeed a community group or organisation that has members who may benefit from the scheme – and feel comfortable giving them an information leaflet, please email energyandsustainability@north-ayrshire.gov.uk to arrange collecting some flyers.