Jackie Baillie has urged residents to apply for help through the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme after it was revealed just 367 people in her Dumbarton constituency have benefitted since it was launched in 2015.

Warmer Homes Scotland provides a step-by-step service to identify where energy efficiency improvements can be made in the home and arranges for this work to be carried out. The scheme offers new central heating systems, including renewable heating technologies such as air source heat pumps, in all property types and in all regions of Scotland. Those who have successfully applied to the scheme have saved an average of £258.32 against their energy bills.

All of the work delivered under the scheme is carried out by registered and accredited local sub-contractors, working to rigorous quality standards across the country, with completed work independently checked to guarantee that these standards are met. In the last year, 99 percent of Warmer Homes Scotland customers said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the work carried out in their homes.

The Dumbarton constituency MSP expressed concern that such a small number of people were benefitting from the scheme as fuel costs have been rising, forcing many to choose between heating and eating.

Energy Action Scotland last year forecast 46 percent of homes in Argyll and Bute and 41 percent in West Dunbartonshire as being in fuel poverty however this was before the fuel cap rise in October and prior to inflation reaching more than 10 percent.

Jackie Baillie said: “I am pleased to learn that the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme has supported 367 people in my constituency to be warmer and more comfortable in their homes but the truth is that this is just a fraction of the people struggling to pay their bills.

“The scheme offers grants to support the installation of energy efficiency upgrades that can help people across the constituency to stay warm, make their home more energy efficient and, in turn, help them to better manage their energy bills.

“I’d encourage everyone from Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond to check if they are eligible to receive help under the scheme, as the improvements it offers could make a real difference this winter and in the years to come.”

Warmworks’ Chief Executive, Ross Armstrong, added: “The Warmer Homes Scotland scheme has been helping people right across Scotland to feel warmer and more comfortable in their homes for more than seven years.

“At a time when we begin to depend more on our heating at home, we’d encourage everyone across the Dumbarton constituency to check their eligibility now for the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme by getting in touch with Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.”