Innovative use of wind farm profits has earned an Argyll housing association a fuel poverty award.
Fyne Homes was honoured in the Outstanding Tenant Support category at Energy Action Scotland’s annual conference.
Fyne Homes is based on the Isle of Bute and manages 1,600 homes across Argyll.
The association chose to use the £118,000 profits from its recently completed wind farm at Glenbarr to support tenants with their energy costs.
Energy Action Scotland Chief Executive Frazer Scott said: “It is a recognition from Fyne just how badly this cost-of-living crisis is hitting their tenants that it choses to use this money in this way.
“In our recent research into fuel poverty by area, Argyll and Bute registered as 50 per cent of all homes living in fuel poverty – well above the average; so this money would have been well received.”
Fyne Homes provides tenants with energy efficiency advice, assists tenants with issues relating to energy companies and provides top-up vouchers and debt clearance grants through its FyneHEAT project.
It also holds regular tenant drop-ins offering energy and benefit advice and makes welfare calls to its more vulnerable tenants.
Both of these, as well as day-to-day interactions with staff, highlighted that tenants were experiencing increased hardship over the winter.
Energy Action Scotland’s annual awards are a chance for the national organisation, which campaigns to raise awareness of fuel poverty and lobby the Scottish Government to make positive changes, to recognise those across Scotland who have made significant impacts in combating fuel poverty.
Latest data shows that 37 per cent of Scottish households live in fuel poverty with figures going as high as 51 per cent in the Western Isles.
According to the Scottish Government fuel poverty, is defined as more than 10 per cent of net income after housing costs being spent on energy.
“It’s the holistic way Fyne offers tenants, spread over a wide geographic area, energy support, as well as the payments that make it worthy of an award,” added Frazer.
Caption: Fyne Homes Karen Hilton and Janet McAlister, centre, receive their award from Energy Action Scotland chief executive Frazer Scott and Gillian Martin MSP, minister for energy.