25/07/2012
Scottish Government to Give Loans for Environmentally-Friendly Heating Systems
The Scottish government recently announced that it would offer interest-free loans to people wanting to install green energy heating systems in their homes. In an effort to encourage the people of Scotland to lower their carbon footprints, the Energy Minister Fergus Ewing promised that an extra £5 million would be made available as loans of £10,000 for people to take advantage of renewable heat technology such as biomass boilers and heat pumps at home.
The loans are part of a wider green scheme, which aims to encourage people to use microgeneration technologies to create lower carbon homes, businesses, hospitals and schools. With over 25% of Britain’s energy consumption taken up by heating, powering and lighting homes, the Scottish government is hoping that cutting edge technology will allow Scotland to play its part in reducing the overall energy output of Britain significantly. At the moment, renewable energy accounts for at least 3,000 jobs in Scotland but it is hoped that this number will increase dramatically over the next decade. It is also hoped that these new measures will reduce household energy bills and take many Scottish people out of fuel poverty.
The government intends to make it easy for people to take advantage of the loans on offer by making the planning and regulation system more straightforward and by making sure that enough people are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to install renewable heat technology systems.
Due to the rising cost of heating and lighting homes and an increased level of awareness of carbon emissions and their impact on the environment, more and more people are looking at ways to make their homes more environmentally efficient and the Scottish government is hoping that many people will get involved in the green scheme.
In recent years, new innovations in construction and energy technology, such as solar panels, air source heat pumps, triple glazing, water recovery systems and heat recovery and ventilation systems have enabled ordinary people to self-build eco homes, but unfortunately many people have been discouraged from building environmentally friendly homes due to claims that it costs 10% more to construct houses to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) and an 40% more to construct houses that reach Level 6 (a zero carbon home).
People who want to extend their homes are also looking at ways to fuel their living spaces in a low energy way in order to keep bills down and lessen their impact on the environment. Ready-made garden rooms are becoming an increasingly popular method of extending the home for people wanting more office space, a studio or an extra sleeping room. As all the materials of these pods are chosen carefully for their low impact on the environment and as they utilise construction innovations and renewable energy technologies such as super insulated walls, energy glass and low energy heating and lighting, these environmentally friendly garden buildings are guilt-free way of extending homes and connecting directly with the natural environment that we are all trying so hard to save.
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