Solid wall insulation pilot in Fife

A Scottish Government pilot scheme to help people with solid wall insulation in Fife (and Orkney) has been announced. This pilot scheme will take the form of an interest free loan for installing insulation. It will be run by the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre (ESSac) and offer a loan of £15,000, to be repaid over up to 10 years. This is not a grant. The insulation would be installed by an appointed contractor.

In Fife the pilot scheme will only run in the following council wards, Howe of Fife and Tay Coast, East Neuk and Landward, and Cupar. In essence this all of NE Fife except for the area around and between St Andrews and Newport. It will not run in other wards. Letters about this offer will be arriving at households in these wards from the 12th of December.

If you are, or know of, an individual in these areas who is keen to install solid wall insulation – either internal or external – and who might want to take up this loan, please get in touch with us and we will pass your details on. Anyone doing a major refurbishment of a property might be particularly interested.

Interested households interested can also


  • Come to the event on 19th January at Howe of Fife rugby club, Cupar

  • Email advice@se.energysavingscotland.org.uk with your name, address and phone numbers, so you can be called back

  • Complete and return a form which comes with the letter to get a call back from an advisor

  • Call the advice centre on 0800 512 012. The advice line is open 8am-8pm Monday to Thursday, 8am-5pm Friday and 9-5 Saturday.

    • The timetable is

    • advice visits in January/early Feb, to participate people would need to commit to install in January/February 2012
    • apply to the loan fund by mid March
    • have the work done by September 2012.

    Many people have asked us about solid wall insulation, as they live in properties which are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation. It is worth doing, but more expensive than many people are prepared to pay. The loan would spread the cost.

    We in Greener Kirkcaldy are delighted to see a scheme on solid wall insulation and hope it does well. Our only regret is that this pilot scheme does not cover Kirkcaldy.

    Solid wall insulation also features in the UK government’s Green Deal/Energy Company Obligation schemes, which are being worked up at the moment and are intended to be introduced from the autumn of 2012. So if this pilot is not suitable there should be another chance, though this will be under Green Deal/ECO terms.