The funding proposal will deliver approximately 1,000 individual energy efficiency measures to council owned properties across the Highlands, and the upgrades will focus on reducing carbon emissions, improving thermal comfort, and lowering energy bills for tenants.

Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair, chair of Highland Council’s Housing and Property Committee, said: “This is a fantastic programme which will allow us to improve the quality and condition of our properties for tenants throughout the Highlands.

“The programme is a crucial step towards decarbonising Highland Council housing and will ensure our tenants benefit from warmer and more efficient homes.”

The programme includes:

• Insulation to reduce heat loss and improve building envelope performance and enhance thermal retention
• Installation of air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to replace old inefficient storage heaters and panel heaters. These low carbon systems extract ambient heat from the air and are up to 300% efficient.
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to generate renewable electricity on-site, allowing tenants to benefit from generation at source and lowering tenant energy costs.

The energy efficiency measures are also expected to significantly improve the Energy Performance Certificate ratings of properties, which will support the council in meeting statutory targets such as the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

Additionally, the council continues to deliver the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (EES:ABS), funded by the Scottish Government, which provides support for owner occupiers and private rented tenants.

This programme offers funding for similar energy efficiency measures, subject to Scottish Government eligibility, and can help to lower fuel costs and improving living conditions for tenants.

The council continues to explore various external funding streams to support the ongoing delivery of energy efficiency measures across council housing.