Showcasing Local Energy Projects to Heat & Energy Efficiency Scotland

It was our pleasure to welcome Viv Cockburn to Ayrshire this week. 

Viv is a member of the Strategic Board of Heat & Energy Efficiency Scotland, part of the Scottish Government’s Directorate for Energy & Climate Change.

After visiting the Home Energy Scotland (South West) Advice Centre at the Energy Agency offices in Auchincruive, a trip was taken to neighbouring Tarbolton to view the External Wall Insulation taking place as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes. 

Meeting with contractors A.C. Whyte & Co. Ltd. who are delivering the works, these programmes improve the energy performance of homes, reduce household energy bills and lower carbon emissions in the housing sector.

The final stop was a visit to Nethermills Hydro Scheme on the River Ayr. Built and managed by our subsidiary company Energy Agency Renewables Ltd, this Archimedes screw turbine is generating green electricity for the nearby Ayrshire College Riverside Building. Any excess electricity is being fed into the national grid for the benefit of future renewables and fuel poverty projects.

We would like to thank Viv for taking the time to visit with the Energy Agency and look forward to working with Heat & Energy Efficiency Scotland.

Nethermills Hydro Scheme Mural Installed

 

Nethermills Hydro Scheme gets a face lift with art installation. 

Created by Ayrshire College student Milo Bell, this was the winning entry in the inaugural competion to design a mural that is to be run annualy by the college. Highlighting the amazing environment and local habitat it is wonderful to use a previously blank space to showcase not only the work of the students, but also the benefits of green energy production. It also helps to maintain awareness of renewable energy, promoting the benefits to the local community and young people.

Join Our Team - Current Vacancies at Energy Agency

Energy Agency has been the host organisation for the Home Energy Scotland advice centre in south west Scotland since 2008 and our team is expanding.

To join our team, visit the careers page of our website and follow the links to apply

https://energyagency.org.uk/about-us/careers 

Our friendly, knowledgeable team are based at our offices in Ayr and once intial training is completed, we offer hybrid working and generous terms and conditions.

Home Energy Scotland provide free, impartial advice to help you save energy and money, funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Energy Saving Trust.
Working across Ayrshire, Arran, and Dumfries & Galloway to provide free, impartial advice on saving energy and money in your home. Householders get in touch to find out about funding from the Scottish Government for energy efficient home improvements, renewable technology and electric cars. Over a third of Scottish households have already benefited from free, impartial home energy advice.

Our trained Customer Service Advisors can help people save energy and money by providing free, impartial and expert advice on:
Energy efficiency, including insulation and heating
Water saving advice to cut down both hot and cold water usage to save money on energy bill
Home Energy Check questionnaire that can be completed over the telephone or by hard copy. Once completed, you receive a detailed energy efficiency report with recommendations, specific to the household

Along with the advice centre, we operate a Partnership and Outreach programme. Part of the Marketing and Partnerships Team, our officers will promote national fuel poverty programmes to public bodies, voluntary organisations and community groups with the aim of securing referrals to the programmes as well as encouraging locally based energy efficiency and related projects. They will deliver training and events, online and face-to-face, and attend meetings with partners, stakeholders and groups to promote our Home Energy Scotland service.

Our Energycarers will assist households experiencing fuel poverty by managing a caseload to assist our most vulnerable customers who would otherwise not engage with Home Energy Scotland (HES) services.

Visit the careers page of our website and follow the links to apply

https://energyagency.org.uk/about-us/careers 

For advice, contact Home Energy Scotland FREE on 0808 808 2282 to chat to a friendly local advisor or drop an email to advice@sw.homeenergyscotland.org

 

Energy Agency Proud to Support local UNESCO Biosphere

Energy Agency are delighted to become Proud Supporters of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.

In doing so, we are committed to the six principles of the Proud Supporter Charter, which are to:

• Help to conserve the natural resources of the Biosphere
• Support the economy to benefit people and nature
• Promote cultural heritage and local products
• Contribute to the health and well-being of the community
• Develop knowledge, understanding and promote research
• Raise awareness of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere

The Biosphere is a place for cooperation and collaboration that shows that a sustainable way of living is not only possible but already happening. 

Liz Marquis, Energy Agency Director siad: 

We believe our goals are strongly aligned and look forward to supporting community, education, local enterprise and our natural environment to achieve true sustainability.

 

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland - Press Release

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government's allocation of more money specifically for Loss and Damage finance, after it announced that it will increase its contribution to £7m from the existing Climate Justice Fund. The news comes a day after members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition and Loss and Damage experts from the Global South met with the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to discuss the issue at COP27 in Egypt.

At the meeting, delegates from Kenya, Rwanda, Mali, Malawi, Bangladesh, Nepal and Zambia shared with the First Minister their first-hand experiences of the devastating impacts the climate crisis is having in their communities and their hopes from the global climate talks. They also thanked the First Minister for the leadership Scotland has shown on Loss and Damage.

Nushrat Chowdhury, Climate Justice Policy Advisor at Christian Aid in Bangladesh, said “In our meeting the First Minister spoke strongly about her commitment to championing Loss and Damage, and this leadership is very welcome after the many years global south countries have spent campaigning for rich nations to pay for their climate damage. It is essential that this announcement - plus Loss and Damage finance being on the formal COP agenda for the first time - inspires other rich nations to pay up, and that this is seen as reparations, not charity, as the First Minister has said.”

Anne Callaghan co-chair of SCCS's International group said: “We are pleased to see this allocation of money from the existing Climate Justice Fund specifically for Loss and Damage. As the First Minister has acknowledged, this contribution is small but, crucially, we have already seen both Denmark and Belgium build on Scotland’s leadership and also commit funds. All rich nations must now urgently address the grave injustice that the world's poorest countries who have done least to cause the damage are paying the price to recover. 

“However, with increasingly catastrophic climate impacts, we urge the First Minister to now commit to ensuring these funds are genuinely new and additional and raised by making the biggest polluters in Scotland pay for the damage they’re causing.

“By doing so, the Scottish Government can go beyond symbolic sums, contribute our fair share of climate finance and boost investment in the actions needed for a just transition to a fairer, low carbon Scotland. It would also mean the cost of living crisis driven by our dependence on fossil fuels could be definitively addressed, rather than lurching from one crisis to another. The longer we wait to act, the more expensive it will be.” 

Call Home Energy Scotland to see if you can benefit from Scottish Government funding, delivered by Energy Saving Trust.

The Scottish Government has made funding available this year to help householders install energy efficient measures and help reduce their heating bills.

People are being urged to contact Home Energy Scotland to receive advice and support to help make their homes warmer and reduce their heating bills.

Financial support worth up to £5,000 is also available to make homes more energy efficient through improvements like home insulation, draught proofing or a new heating system.

Did you know that a home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50% of its heat through its roof and walls? So making improvements can make your home more energy efficient and comfortable, helping to lower Scotland’s emissions. For example, adding loft insulation into a home with none could save you up to £355 a year.

Home Energy Scotland, the Scottish Government’s free energy efficiency advice service, helps people access funding for energy efficient measures along with a range of other financial support and impartial advice. If it looks like you might be eligible for help, you will be referred for an initial survey to be carried out of your home before measures are installed.

The one-stop-shop for support is funded by Scottish Government and delivered by Energy Saving Trust. Call 0808 808 2282 or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org/contact to request a call back.

To find out exactly what you are eligible for – whatever your circumstances – call the Home Energy Scotland hotline now on 0808 808 2282.

Council offers direct Cost-of-Living support to residents

North Ayrshire Council is ramping up efforts to support residents through the current Cost-of-Living Crisis with the launch of a £450,000 energy crisis payment scheme.

The scheme – which opens for applications today (Monday, October 31) – is aiming to provide much-needed funds directly to low-income households to help with their energy bills.

The payment scheme is the next phase of the Council’s wide-ranging ‘Energy Smart’ programme, introduced to provide a variety of supports to households struggling with soaring energy prices and inflation.

North Ayrshire Council Leader Marie Burns said: “No-one will be unaffected by the escalating cost of energy and shopping bills and it’s our top priority to support people however we can.

“The new ‘Energy Smart: Emergency Response’ grant scheme is a direct payment which will ensure the money goes to those who need it most and as quickly as possible.

“The money should make an immediate difference to families worried about escalating fuel costs over winter.”

In an effort to make the application process as simple as possible, people can either apply online or be supported through the application over the phone.

You can call 01294 310000 or visit the council website at www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/CostOfLiving to learn more.

While the fund is aimed primarily at households with low income, there are other supports available and people are encouraged to get in contact to see what help is available to you.

Council staff will also be reaching out into communities to make people aware of the supports on offer. This includes promoting the new Energy Smart programme at food banks and other touchpoints, and Council staff highlighting the scheme when visiting vulnerable people in their homes as part of the delivery of other services.

Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Economy and Climate Change, added: “This is a further phase of a £2million package of measures we are introducing to help people quickly and practically.

“In addition to the Emergency Response scheme, as part of Energy Smart we will be delivering energy efficiency measures in homes – initially this will be focused on loft and cavity insulation - to provide long-term cost savings. We are encouraging anyone interested in receiving such measures to get in touch with us so that we can see if you are eligible and then arrange installation.

“We announced last month our partnership with the Energy Agency and Home Energy Scotland, where specially-trained advisors are standing by to provide support and practical, impartial advice to anyone looking to reduce their energy bills.

We would urge anyone looking to lower their energy bills to either call the freephone number 0808 808 2282
or by checking out the advice and support available via the Council website at www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/CostOfLiving.

The website has sections on energy, benefits, food and clothing, health and wellbeing and a section dedicated to our business community.