Fyne Homes windfarm helps tackle fuel poverty in Argyll
The association, based on the Isle of Bute, chose to use the £118,000 profits from its recently completed windfarm at Glenbarr to support tenants with their energy costs.
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.
The association, based on the Isle of Bute, chose to use the £118,000 profits from its recently completed windfarm 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 they chose to use this money in this way. In our recent research into fuel poverty by area Argyll & Bute registered as 50% 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 their more vulnerable tenants. These interactions showed clearly that tenants were experiencing increased hardship over the winter period.
Energy Action Scotland’s annual awards are an opportunity 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 that have made significant impacts in combating fuel poverty.
Latest data shows that 37% of Scottish households live in fuel poverty with figures going as high as 51% in the Western Isles.
According to the Scottish Government fuel poverty is defined as more than 10% of net income after housing costs being spent on energy.
Frazer added: "It’s the holistic way Fyne offers tenants, spread over a wide geographic area, energy support, as well as the payments that make them worthy of an award."