Over 8,000 Aberdeen residents to get free home insulation

More than 8,000 Aberdeen residents are to get free home insulation, under the Aberdeen University Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS).

Residents in the Cove, Torry and Nigg areas will be written to, with details of the scheme, which is being funded by the City Council with £500,000 grant funding from the Scottish Government and private funding.

The scheme will target approximately 8,700 homes, of which about 4,700 are flats. It could save householders a combined £218,611 on their annual fuel bills and cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1,369 tonnes.

Thermal images will be taken of all homes in the area and used by energy assessors and surveyors to show residents how much heat is escaping from their homes and how they could benefit from insulation.

All householders will be offered free insulation measures, regardless of whether they own or rent the properties, including loft Insulation to a minimum of 270mm, cavity wall insulation, underfloor insulation to suspended floors and draught-proofing of communal doors in tenement properties, where insulation is installed as part of the scheme.

Some enabling works to allow measures to be installed will also be offered free, including installing or extending loft hatches, loft clearances, asbestos encapsulation, provision of access equipment such as scaffolding or a cherry picker and other access issues.

Even if a home isn’t suitable for or does not require insulation measures, householders will be offered free energy-saving advice to help them heat their homes affordably and benefit checks to maximise their income.

Several local groups and organisations have been enlisted as partners in the Aberdeen UHIS to help maximise uptake in it, including the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre North East and Aberdeen Care and Repair.

Housing and Environment Convener Councillor Aileen Malone said: "By ensuring homes are properly insulated we can help people to save a considerable amount of money on their fuel bills by cutting energy use, while also reducing the impact that heating their homes has on the environment."

Further information:
Aberdeen City Council