It follows a bumper year for local households in which the council was awarded a record £2 million from the Scottish Government’s Heat and Energy Efficient Scotland scheme (HEES:ABS), to boost the energy efficiency of homes across the county – all of which is allocated and on track to be successfully spent and work completed by May as required by the grant conditions.

Now, Warmworks has been appointed for a fifth year by Orkney Islands Council to continue to promote the HEES:ABS scheme to householders, assess their eligibility to access support and to coordinate the installation of energy efficiency improvements.

Open to homeowners, private sector tenants and landlords, the scheme helped 176 households in Orkney in 2022-23, with improvements such as loft, wall and underfloor insulation and modern high heat retention storage heaters.

Warmworks has an office in Kirkwall and works with local subcontractors to install energy efficiency improvements. Interested householders should contact Warmworks to see if they’re eligible for funding. The local team can also signpost them to other potential sources of help and advice.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer, the council’s chair of education, leisure and housing, said: “We’re delighted to have the Warmworks team continue to work with our community to take full advantage of the HEES:ABS scheme.

“Once again we’d urge householders to explore if they could benefit, by getting in touch with Warmworks directly.”

Nicola McLeod, managing director of Warmworks’ Scotland Division, added: “We are really excited to be continuing our partnership to help homes in Orkney to be warmer and more energy efficient. The benefits of the scheme for Orkney homes are clear – last year we helped 176 Orkney homes to save an average of £728 through the installation of energy efficiency improvements in their homes. We encourage people to get in touch with the team in Orkney to find out if they qualify for support.”

Under the HEES:ABS scheme, eligible households can receive funding for:

• Loft insulation
• Internal wall insulation
• External wall insulation
• Under floor insulation
• High heat retention storage heaters.