Highland Council has distributed £8,000 worth of supermarket vouchers to vulnerable adults and children in partnership with Union Technical.
Union Technical deliver community benefits as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (EES:ABS) programme.
- £4,000 worth were distributed to vulnerable children via the Council’s local Health and Social Care teams
- A further £4,000 worth were distributed to vulnerable adults via NHS Highland.
Additionally, £4,000 was donated to sustainable energy charity, ALIenergy, to support their ‘cosy kit’ scheme which provides hot water bottles, blankets, gloves, hats and scarves for the elderly in rural communities.
Chair of Highland Council’s Climate Change Committee, Councillor Kate Willis, said: “I am delighted to see a huge amount of community benefits being delivered as part of our energy efficiency programme. The EES:ABS scheme has enabled energy efficiency upgrades for thousands of homes throughout Highland, improving comfort, lowering energy bills and reducing carbon emissions, while also continuing to support our communities with the distribution of community benefits.”
Chair of Highland Council’s Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee, Councillor David Fraser, said: “I’m pleased that we could support 100 families throughout the Highlands with these vouchers as well as elderly residents in rural communities through the additional donation to ALIenergy. Winter can be a particularly difficult time for vulnerable people, and I am pleased that we have been able to offer valuable and tangible support to those who need it most.”
The Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (EES:ABS) programme is a Scottish Government programme and offers eligible Highland residents grant funding for energy efficiency measures including external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, air source heat pump and solar panels with battery storage, which can result in significant savings on household energy bills.
Managed locally by Highland Council, the EES:ABS scheme is currently delivered by Union Technical and has funded upgrades for thousands of homes across the Highlands using Government grants and other support.