East Renfrewshire Council urged to make most of energy efficiency initiative

The money is on offer through a second wave of funding from Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP).

This initiative was set up to help local authorities test new and innovative energy-saving approaches.

Tom Arthur MSP has encouraged Renfrewshire Council and East Renfrewshire Council to apply for a share of the money, which can be used for homes, businesses, public buildings and community projects.

“The Scottish Government’s funding pot to help improve energy efficiency in homes, businesses and public buildings is a great opportunity for local communities, supporting local projects that build on the successful work already carried out and ensuring that Scotland leads the way in energy efficiency,” said the Renfrewshire South MSP.

“I am calling on the local authority to submit proposals on how it would use this funding to help meet local energy needs more efficiently and at a lower cost, whilst also helping tackle climate change.

“The SNP government has delivered almost one million energy efficiency measures to almost one million Scottish households since 2008 and invested more than £650 million over the last eight years.

“I’d encourage as many communities as possible to come up with their own proposals to make use of this vital funding to help transform energy efficiency in their area.”

A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said it actively considers potential sources of funding for energy efficiency projects.

He added: “As well as the obvious environmental benefits, improving the energy efficiency of buildings helps to reduce bills.

“Where people find they are struggling with the cost of heating their home or where they just have questions about energy issues, we have an advocacy service to give independent, expert advice.

“This is a completely free service that we provide across Renfrewshire and if anyone wants a home visit from our advisor, we can arrange this for a convenient time.”