A PROJECT which will help vulnerable people living in fuel poverty in the South West of Scotland has been given a £100,000 boost from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust.
The Trust has made the grant to the Energy Agency to fund a scheme which will reach people who miss out on mainstream support initiatives by a small margin but who are still in need of help.
The initiative will help to replace non-operational or inefficient domestic heating systems for approximately 100 people.
It will also tackle fuel poverty by offering energy efficiency advice and will make appropriate referrals to insulation schemes and income maximisations services.
Ann Loughrey, ScottishPower’s head of Corporate Social Responsibility and The ScottishPower Energy People Trust’s company secretary, said:
“We are delighted to be able to assist this project. The work being done by the Energy Agency has made a significant difference already to the lives of people living in the South West of Scotland. This scheme will help to ensure that people who may otherwise have slipped through the cracks will now receive the help that they need. This is exactly the kind of project the ScotitshPower Energy People Trust is keen to help.”
The ScottishPower Energy People Trust was established in November 2005 to fund not-for-profit organisations that help vulnerable people including families, young people, the disabled and the elderly who need to spend more than 10% of their income on energy bills.
The Energy Agency was established in February 1999 as South Ayrshire Energy Agency. It began as an innovative project using a combination of European Union and Local Authority funding.
The Energy Agency won a competitive bidding process to operate an Energy Efficiency Advice Centre for Energy Saving Trust in 2000, covering south west Scotland.
In 2008 the Energy Agency successfully bid for a contract to establish and manage the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre south west.
Liz Marquis, director of the Energy Agency, said:
“We are very grateful to the Scottish Power Energy People Trust for their support for the Sustainable Heat at Realistic Prices (SHARP) project. Through this project we are able to help some of the most vulnerable members of our community insulate their homes adequately and replace old inefficient heating systems with new fuel efficient ones. This not only saves them money on fuel costs but improves the quality of their lives and contributes to global reduction in carbon emissions.”
So far, the ScottishPower Energy People Trust has awarded over £7m to 148 projects helping over 824,000 individuals in over 620,000 households throughout Britain.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Kate McCheyne, the BIG partnership, on 0141 333 9585 / 07766076469 or kate.mccheyne@bigpartnership.co.uk
OR
Susanne Grant, the BIG Partnership, on 0141 333 9585 / 07824 388 472 or susanne.grant@bigpartnership.co.uk
Note to Editors:
- The ScottishPower Energy People Trust does not provide funding directly to individuals but provides funding to not for profit organisations which represent the vulnerable/fuel poor. People described as living in fuel poverty are those who spend more than ten per cent of their income on energy bills.
- There is no time limit in organisations applying for funds as the Trust is a long term registered charity. The decisions on the awards to organisations are made independent of ScottishPower by the Board of Trustees of the charity.
- To apply for a grant from The ScottishPower Energy People Trust, log onto www.energypeopletrust.co.uk or email enquiries@energypeopletrust.co.uk or call 0141 568 4727.
- The ScottishPower Energy People Trust is just one of a number of ScottishPower initiatives which assist some of the UK’s most vulnerable people. As well as working closely with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, ScottishPower employs Community Liaison Officers who visit people in their homes. The energy supplier has also insulated thousands of homes across the UK through its Energy Efficiency Commitment.
- In Ofgem’s Review of Suppliers’ Voluntary Initiatives to Help Vulnerable Customers (August 2007), the Trust was recognised for Best Practice as it integrated energy efficiency advice and the provision of EEC measures to help customers manage and reduce future energy expenditure.
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Contact: Kate McCheyne
Phone: 0141 333 9585
Email: kate.mccheyne@bigpartnership.co.uk
Website: http://www.
