15 February 2017

The First Minister was at the Silverdale Nursery in Dalmarnock to announce a new funding pot of £11 million to improve energy efficiency in Scotland’s homes and businesses.

Councils across Scotland will be able to bid for the funding from the Scottish Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) pilot scheme for projects taking place in the next two years.

The nursery received more than £60,000 from the first round of funding in June last year to connect the building to the energy centre built as part of the Commonwealth Games Village.

FM @NicolaSturgeon is announcing an extra £11m funding for energy efficiency projects in Scotland. Read more here: https://t.co/GvzXZBGK13 pic.twitter.com/OT4jJhXBSP

— First Minister (@ScotGovFM) February 15, 2017

The First Minister said:

“This unprecedented large-scale, long-term programme will make our homes warmer and places of work more comfortable. It will also drive down energy bills and help us meet our ambitious climate change targets.

“The second round of SEEP pilot funding will support local authorities to develop projects that build on the successful work we have already carried out and ensure Scotland leads the way in energy efficiency.

“Silverdale Nursery is a great example of this funding being used to ensure local energy needs can be met more efficiently and cheaper, whilst also helping tackle climate change. The nursery will be a great future learning environment for children across the area and will safeguard nine existing jobs as well as creating 16 new ones.

“This is an extremely exciting time for early learning and childcare as we take forward the most significant expansion ever seen in Scotland – almost doubling free provision to 1140 hours by 2020.

“By providing the best possible start in life we can ensure our young people develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential, we know this is particularly true for children who face the greatest disadvantage.

“Since 2008 over one million energy efficiency measures have been delivered to almost one million Scottish households. We have already invested more than £650 million since 2009 – and are committed to making another £0.5 billion available over the next four years – to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency across Scotland.”

You can watch the full video here: