A £6.6 million Perth & Kinross Council investment aimed at eradicating fuel poverty has successfully installed heating systems to over 1,000 homes across the region.

Community regeneration and construction specialist Keepmoat was selected as preferred developer to deliver 1,600 installations across the city by the council in November last year. The partnership has now celebrated the completion of works on 1,000 homes, improving the quality of life for council tenants.

The project has to date seen Keepmoat install gas heating systems to 826 homes, as well as solar thermal heating systems to 174 properties, which will support the council’s aspirations of keeping the homes of tenants warm and assisting tenants to reduce their fuel bills.

Eamonn McGarvey, regional managing director for Keepmoat in Scotland, said: “Fuel poverty is a real problem for many people and the smallest upgrades to a home can go a long way to help. As well as the financial implications, a cold home has considerable knock on health affects which can lead to serious or life threatening conditions.

“One of the Scottish Government’s National Housing priorities is that nobody should be living in fuel poverty in Scotland. The fact Perth & Kinross Council have invested heavily, tackling fuel poverty head on for their constituents is fantastic.

“We’re delighted to have worked in partnership with the council on this remarkable project and we’re pleased with the early feedback from residents who are already noticing a marked difference the new systems are having on their home environment and utility bills. We have been able to accelerate the programme, and completing the 1,000th installation ahead of schedule is testament to the collaborative working between the council and Keepmoat and the hard work undertaken by our installation teams.”

The council’s convener of housing and health, Councillor Dave Doogan, said: “Eradicating fuel poverty in Perth & Kinross is one of our priorities as a council, and that commitment is underlined by the major investment we have made in this improvement project for our housing stock. I’m very happy to see the progress that has been made.

“The installation of these new state-of-the-art heating systems will make a real difference to the lives of our tenants, giving them warmer homes and helping to cut their household bills. The project will also help reduce the carbon footprint of our area.

“This is just one of many improvement projects that are ongoing across our housing stock. We are also in the middle of a programme to upgrade doors and windows, and replace kitchens and bathrooms for our tenants. This rolling programme of improvement work will continue so that we can provide the highest quality of housing for all our tenants.”