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Permalink Reply by Shirley-Anne Somerville on January 19, 2010 at 13:59

Here are my thoughts on this.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on an Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland and has said that it welcomes views on any Scottish energy saving scheme, including potential incentives to replace inefficient boilers.

Already the Scottish Government’s £2 million Energy Saving Scotland Home Loans pilot scheme provides interest free loans and is already helping Scottish householders upgrade their boilers.

The Energy Assistance Package also offers free or discounted boilers to eligible households as well as a range of other energy saving measures. For free and independent information on how you can cut your fuel bill and reduce your carbon footprint visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland-Welcome-page/....

You may also interested to know that the Scottish Government has recently extended those who are eligible for the package to include all households with children under 16 who are in receipt of the relevant benefits; and that the list of qualifying benefits should be extended to include those who receive more than the family element of tax credit. The Minister has also asked the Fuel Poverty Forum to consider whether eligibility should be extended further to include those with cancer and other chronic illnesses who are in fuel poverty. This follows earlier changes brought into effect in December which extended eligibility for stage 4 measures to include those whose homes have an energy efficiency rating that would fall into band E on an Energy Performance Certificate. This has already seen a marked rise in the numbers of people helped by the programme.

As you can see the Government is focussing its efforts on those people who are suffering from fuel poverty. The proposed boiler scrappage scheme for England and Wales gives up to £400 for a boiler which may cost somewhere in the region of £1500. This scheme is therefore most likely to only help those who have some personal savings and not those that are most fuel poor. Given that all government's work within a finite budget, I think it is reasonable to debate whether this is the best use of the funding available.

I have produced a fuel poverty information letter with useful contacts and advice. Please let me know if you would like to receive a copy or know of anyone that may benefit.

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
MSP for Lothians
(Scottish National Party)

Permalink Reply by Malcolm Chisholm on January 22, 2010 at 15:13

We need an immediate and intense effort to deal with energy inefficient homes if we are serious about climate change. That means we have to have assistance on a broad front in addition to extra help for those who are fuel poor. That is why I support the boiler scrappage scheme, just as I support the roll out of area based energy efficiency schemes. The scrappage scheme will result in savings on energy bills, jobs for manufacturers, retailers and installers and, most crucially of all, a significant contribution to our climate change objectives. The Scottish Government has admitted that existing programmes will deliver a 9 per cent reduction in emissions, nowhere near the minimum of 42 per cent that is required by 2020. That is why more is urgently required.