http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/articles/i/5174/?cid=3

The Scottish Government last week unveiled a major programme to overhaul the energy efficiency of the region's homes.

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment Alex Neil said the government hopes to work with energy companies to find around £200 million a year to help householders in fuel poor areas save money and become more efficient.

The new programme, which will build on existing ones, will offer a range of free or discounted heating and home insulation measures.

"Scotland is an energy rich nation and it is simply unacceptable that rising bills mean that some people are struggling to heat their homes," Neil said.

He added that the region faces a major problem with many of its older homes, which lack energy efficiency measures like high performance boilers and insulation.

"Tackling fuel poverty in our aging housing stock will help us to ensure that, as far as possible, people are not living in fuel poverty in Scotland by November 2016," he went on.

The programme will rely on Scotland receiving a pro-rata share from energy suppliers under the UK government's proposed Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which would amount to some £120 million a year.

The Scottish Government would like to see its efficiency scheme start next year and cover the whole of the region within ten years.