The Scottish Government has announced a £224m energy efficiency scheme to tackle fuel poverty in Scottish homes.

 

The seven-year scheme, launching in September, will install heating, renewable energy and insulation upgrades in up to 28,000 households.

 

It will reportedly bring financial benefits to tens of thousands of Scottish people by reducing CO2 levels and improving Scotland's housing stock.

 

The scheme will be administered by a Warmworks Scotland - a new body made up of the Energy Saving Trust, social enterprise Changeworks, and energy services firm Everwarm.

 

Energy Saving Trust director Mike Thornton said: "This will give people living in fuel poverty really practical support. The initiative provides a more integrated step-by-step service to customers, from the initial referral through to the installation and beyond.

 

"Each customer will receive their own personal adviser and be supported through any complex issue or challenge they may face. This project will continue to help improve the lives of people in Scotland by making their homes warmer and more comfortable."

 

The initiative will continue all the measures from the Energy Assistance Scheme, which ended in March 2015, and include new measures like flat/pitched roof insulation, glazing and hybrid wall insulation.

 

Margaret Burgess, the Scottish Government's housing minister, said: "This new scheme will give vulnerable households living in fuel poverty access to even more measures to make their homes energy efficient. These will be tailored to meet their needs to stop them from paying unnecessarily high fuel bills.

 

The new plan will undoubtedly draw comparisons with the controversial UK-wide Green Deal, which the Government claims has insulated one million homes in the last two years.