A SCOTTISH company has secured a £10 million deal to provide low-income families and homeowners with free heating measures to help in the battle against fuel poverty.
Firstcall Home Assist has secured the significant ECO (Energy Company Obligation) funding which it will use to help households save money and be more energy efficient.
The offer means that anyone who is eligible can get a new boiler, or have loft insulation or cavity wall insulation fitted, entirely for free.
Says a spokesperson: “The funding support is part of the government-backed ECO Affordable Warmth scheme which is designed to help tenants, homeowners and private landlords that are on a low-income or more vulnerable people such as the elderly and disabled who cannot afford to heat their homes.:
David Dodds, Green Deal manager at Edinburgh-based Firstcall Home Assist, said: “Affordable Warmth is a fantastic scheme as it allows people who cannot afford to heat their homes to get the measures they need to live a better life.
“An increasing number of families are being hit by the current economic climate with no real indication of when this going to improve. The Affordable Warmth scheme will take away the worry of improvement costs and help people lead a better quality of life.
“There is absolutely no catch. If you qualify, you get the service.
“We are now desperate to hear from those households across Scotland who want to take up this offer. The quicker they get in touch, the quicker we can help them to reduce their energy costs.”
To be eligible for the ECO Affordable Warmth scheme, people need to be receiving either state pension credit, income related benefits with a child and income of less than £15,860 or be receiving disability benefits with an income of less than £15,860.
Once a person has signed up for the deal, Firstcall Home Assist will arrange a free home assessment.
If a person is eligible in particular for the free boiler, all installation and parts are included and Firstcall Home Assist also offer a ten-year manufacturer’s, parts and labour warranty.
ECO is part of the UK’s drive to reduce energy consumption and support people living in fuel poverty. It will work alongside the Green Deal – which is helping homes and businesses to fund energy saving projects – and will provide £1.3 billion of funding every year.
Firstcall Home Assist is also one of Scotland’s leading Green Deal installers/assessors and is already handling hundreds of assessments for funding for energy efficiency improvements.
David added: “The Affordable Warmth scheme is so simple. If you are eligible for it, we will cover all of the costs of the measures and the customer has nothing to worry about. It will also help reducing harmful carbon emissions as the new boilers are much more energy-efficient.
“If someone’s boiler is not up to scratch it can waste a lot of money and energy so this scheme is such a great opportunity to replace it and help reduce heating bills.”
A new boiler can help homeowners save up to 30 per cent of their annual heating bills which will make a huge difference to the ongoing fuel poverty in Scotland.
It is estimated that 2.5 million households in the UK are eligible for a free replacement boiler as well as other heating measures.
For more information on the ECO Affordable Warmth scheme can be found on the website www.firstcallhomeassist.co.uk or by calling 0844 241 2984.
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