Home Energy Scotland Toolkit
The cost of living crisis is worrying for us all. But Home Energy Scotland from the Scottish Government is here to help with free and impartial advice on ways to reduce heating costs. They also offer people on low incomes and certain benefits financial support to make energy efficient home improvements, such as a new heating system or insulation. This toolkit has been designed to help you support the Home Energy Scotland campaign and raise awareness with your own audiences during this difficult time.
The Home Energy Scotland campaign raises awareness that advice and financial support is available to help heat your home more efficiently and cheaply. People are encouraged to get in touch by phoning Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 or visiting homeenergyscotland.org to get free, impartial advice and support.
With your support we can make people across Scotland aware that there is help out there, with the following messages:
- Find out how you can get help to heat your home more efficiently and reduce your heating bills.
- Find out how you could get help worth up to £5,000 for improvements to make your home warmer, like a new heating system or insulation.
All your activity should direct people to contacting Home Energy Scotland by calling 0808 808 2282 or visiting homeenergyscotland.org.
Campaign background
Helping people make energy efficient home improvements
Home Energy Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government, is a network of local advice centres covering all of Scotland. They provide free and impartial advice on reducing heating costs and carry out a property assessment over the phone to identify ways to make a home more energy efficient. They will also check if householders can receive free support worth up to £5,000 for improvements like loft and cavity wall insulation or a new heating system.
The Home Energy Scotland campaign runs from Thursday 3 November 2022 to Sunday 20 January 2023 across TV, radio press, digital, social media and PR.
The primary audiences for the campaign are those who may be struggling to heat their home, although advice and support is available to everyone, no matter what their circumstances. Funding has been made available to support householders to install energy efficient measures in their homes and help save on heating costs, so the campaign encourages people to contact Home Energy Scotland by phoning 0808 808 2282 or seeing what support is available at homeenergyscotland.org/find-funding-grants-and-loans/.
Key messages for the campaign
- The latest Home Energy Scotland campaign from the Scottish Government lets people in Scotland know that support to reduce their fuel bills and make their homes warmer and more energy efficient is available now.
- This year’s Home Energy campaign, from the Scottish Government, aims to:
1) Encourage homeowners to contact Home Energy Scotland, who can provide help and advice on reducing heating costs, saving energy by heating your home more efficiently, and making Scotland greener.
2) Help people to reduce bills and save energy, whilst keeping warm this winter.
- Home Energy Scotland from the Scottish Government provides free, clear and impartial advice on how to make your home warmer. Their helpline is a one-stop-shop for support, so call now on 0808 808 2282 or visit homeenergyscotland.org to fill in an online form and request a call back.
- Funded by the Scottish Government and managed by the Energy Saving Trust, Home Energy Scotland is here to help people in Scotland create warmer homes, save on energy bills, and use energy more efficiently. Their expert advisors offer free and impartial advice on energy saving, keeping warm at home, renewable energy, greener travel, cutting water waste and more.
- The Scottish Government has made even more funding available through Home Energy Scotland, which could support eligible householders to make their homes warmer through insulating their homes or reducing energy use with a new heating system. To find out what you are eligible for, whatever your circumstances, call Home Energy Scotland for free on 0808 808 2282 or go to homeenergyscotland.org/find-funding-grants-and-loans/.
- Find out how you can get help to heat your home more efficiently and reduce your heating bills.
- You can reduce your heating bills and save energy with government funded support worth up to £5,000.
- The cost of living crisis and the increase in energy prices is worrying for us all. Home Energy Scotland can help with free and impartial advice on saving energy, keeping warm at home, renewable energy, cutting water waste and more.
Key facts and figures
- Since 2008 the service has saved Scottish householders over £1 billion collectively on their energy bills, as well as over 6 million tonnes of CO2.
- 30,000 households in Scotland have already benefited from Scottish Government funded energy efficient improvements through Warmer Homes Scotland, like a new heating system or insulation.
- A recent report by Energy Saving Trust revealed: 61% of Scottish residents have used more energy this year as a result of the pandemic, 59% have noticed a rise in their energy bills and 73% think home energy savings and domestic energy efficiency play an important role in tackling the climate emergency.
- With the price cap frozen at £2,500 for the average household, we estimate that there will be around 860,000 (35%) fuel poor households in Scotland, of which 600,000 (24%) will be in extreme fuel poverty, from October 2022.
- There was a 59% increase in calls to the Home Energy Scotland hotline between April 2021 and April 2022, demonstrating a growing need for help and support with energy costs.
How to make your home warmer
Amid the cost of living crisis, it’s good to know that not all energy saving measures for your home are expensive and time consuming. Here are Home Energy Scotland’s quick wins on how to save energy at home, especially in the winter.
- Fitting a thermostat can help maintain the temperature of a room or your hot water while not wasting excess energy.
- Insulation keeps the heat in your home. Making sure your home is properly insulated is a great way to save money and energy, at the same time as doing your bit for the environment.
- Insulate your hot water tank to keep your water hot for longer. By insulating your hot and cold water pipes you can make sure your water runs at the right temperature more quickly.
- Wall insulation can really help keep the heat inside your home. It helps to reduce your energy use for heating, which is great news for your bank balance and the environment.
- Wind whistling through the living room? Draught proofing is an easy and cost-effective way to reduce heat loss, with most materials available from DIY stores.
- Did you know that heat can also be lost through the floor? Insulating under the floorboards on your ground floor could save you about £110 a year in an average property, or up to £180 if you live in a detached house. You can also seal the gaps between floors and skirting boards to reduce draughts.
- Check your energy efficiency rating to make sure you’re getting the most energy efficient white goods.
For further information on creating a cosy and more comfortable home, go to homeenergyscotland.org/make-my-home-warmer/.
Campaign Assets
We have various assets for this campaign that you may find useful to illustrate the story on your own channel. These are available to view and download in the link below.
Supporting social media content
We’d be grateful if you could support the campaign via your social media channels. You can share content from Home Energy Scotland or post your own.
Here are a few example social media posts you may want to send out to your followers to show your support:
Twitter: Have your heating bills risen?
If the cost of heating your home is a struggle, Home Energy Scotland can help by giving free, impartial advice to make your home warmer while helping to reduce energy bills. You could even get help worth up to £5,000 to make your home warmer. For support and funding to help you save energy and heat your home more efficiently, call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.
Facebook and Instagram: Struggling to heat your home?
It’s a worrying time for us all, but Home Energy Scotland is here to help. Get in touch to find out how you could save on bills and get help worth up to £5,000 to make your home warmer. You could receive funding to make improvements like home insulation, draught proofing, or even a new heating system. Over 29,000 households in Scotland have benefitted so far. Take action today by calling Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.
Content for your organisation's channels
The editorial content below includes information on the campaign. Feel free to use this copy (or relevant sections) on your intranet, e-newsletter or blog platforms.
How to make your home more energy efficient
With the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills, it’s a worrying time for us all. The Scottish Government has made funding available this year to help householders install energy efficient measures and save money.
People are being urged to contact Home Energy Scotland, the Scottish Government’s free energy efficiency advice service, to receive advice and support to help make their homes warmer and reduce their heating bills.
Financial support worth up to £5,000 is also available to make homes more energy efficient through improvements like home insulation, draught proofing, or a new heating system.
Did you know that a home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50% of its heat through its roof and walls? Making energy efficient home improvements can make your space warmer and more comfortable, while also helping to lower Scotland’s emissions. For example, adding loft insulation into a home with none could save you up to £355 a year.
Home Energy Scotland helps people access funding for energy efficient measures, along with a range of other financial support and impartial advice. If it looks like you might be eligible for help, you will be referred for an initial survey of your home to be carried out before measures are installed.
The one-stop-shop for support is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Energy Saving Trust.
To find out exactly what you are eligible for, whatever your circumstances, call the Home Energy Scotland hotline now on 0808 808 2282 or visit homeenergyscotland.org/contact to request a call back.
Contact details and useful links
For any enquires including media opportunities and for additional information, please contact:
Stripe Communications
Email: homeenergy@stripecommunications.com
Tel: +44 (0) 131 561 8628