In numbers, w/e October 27

AFFORDABILITY and low awareness of government schemes are reportedly “key barriers to Scotland achieving its goals to improve the energy efficiency of homes and reach net-zero [carbon emissions]”.

The conclusions follow a survey of 2,000 Scots adults, conducted by the Chartered Institute of Building.

It found that affordability was cited by around 40 per cent of people as a barrier, while the disruption of having work done (20 per cent), not owning the home (23 per cent), and a lack of understanding of how to improve energy efficiency (19 per cent) were also among the top reasons.  

Says CIoB, here: “Reducing energy bills (62 per cent), government grants (42 per cent), free and reliable guidance (27 per cent), and improving a home’s energy rating (24 per cent) were the most popular incentives identified by those who completed the survey. An online search and the government’s website were chosen as the top sources of information on energy efficiency improvements. 

“The survey also asked respondents about past and current government incentive schemes, including ‘Warmer Homes Scotland’, ‘Home Energy Scotland Grant’ and ‘Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland Equity Loans’. Worryingly, over a third (39 per cent) of respondents had not heard of any of the schemes, with awareness being lowest in the over-55 age category.”

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland

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