Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has made an initial estimate that the Home Insulation Scheme could save in the region of 24,250 tCO2e in 2009-10. The actual emission savings achieved will depend on a range of factors including levels of uptake by householders. The implementation of the first phase of the Home Insulation Scheme will be evaluated with a view to informing its development in subsequent years. The emission savings achieved will be calculated within the framework for standard carbon assessment being developed by the Scottish Government.

The Energy Saving Trust, as managing agent, is currently carrying out a procurement exercise to appoint the supplier offering the best deal for Home Insulation Scheme customers in a given area. This will be an open and competitive process in order to obtain value for money and to reflect EU procedures and regulations. It will be the responsibility of each supplier, when appointed, to enter into contracts as they see fit to ensure that the required skills are available to ensure installation of appropriate insulation measures in each area.

Our initial estimate of potential emission savings under the Home Insulation Scheme remains as stated in my answer to question S3W-23534 on 12 May 2009. The Scottish Government''s analytical framework for carbon assessment is under continuing development and this may affect the calculation of future estimates.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Marketing of the Home Insulation Scheme is due to begin in late September 2009 to raise awareness within the participating areas. A publicity campaign will launch in early November and will last for the duration of the first phase, until 31 March 2010.

All households within Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) areas are eligible to receive insulation measures either free, or at a reduced cost compared to the normal market cost of installation, providing that their house is suitable for the relevant measure. While able-to-pay households will receive insulation at reduced cost, they will be required to make a financial contribution to the costs of installation, if they wish to receive the measures.

At this stage, it is not possible to estimate how many households will be eligible to receive reduced-cost insulation measures under HIS in the areas selected for 2009-10, as opposed to those eligible for free measures, and what proportion of households in those areas each group represents. Eligibility for free measures is determined both by ability of a property to take HIS measures and the socio-economic status of the householder. When HIS is fully underway and data is being collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.

At this stage it is not possible to estimate what the expected total householder contribution will be to measures part-funded by the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) in 2009-10. The householder contribution will depend on factors such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target offer for able to pay households that it is possible to secure as part of the procurement process. When HIS is fully underway and data is being collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.

We welcome the UK Government''s ambition to insulate all cavities and lofts by 2015 (which was reaffirmed in its UK Low Carbon Transition), and indicated that we believe this will not be met in Scotland unless changes are made to the framework for the delivery of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and the obligation that supersedes it. The Home Insulation Scheme will contribute towards this ambition, but the degree to which it can be achieved will partly depend on decisions made around the future of CERT.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27371 on 24 September 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27367 on 24 September 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

At this stage, it is not possible to estimate how many households will have insulation measures installed under the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) that will be fully paid for. When HIS is fully underway and data is being collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.