Interest free loans with cash back can help keep you cosy

What does the scheme offer? The Scottish Government is making available interest free, unsecured loans of up to £ 15,000 for installing a variety of measures such as solid wall insulation, double glazing or a new boiler. Landlords with multiple properties are eligible for up to £ 100,000 in total.

For a limited time, householders are eligible to receive cash back of 25% of their quoted costs, up to a maximum of £ 3,750. Applicants must be able to complete works and claim funding by March 10, 2017. Here is how it works. The interest free loan funds 75 per cent of the cost for the improvements. The cash back pays for the 25 per cent balance. The cash back is a 25% grant towards making your home more energy efficient.

If the loan is for under £ 5000 you can take choose a repayment time period of up to five years. If the loan amount is greater than £ 5000 you can spread the repayments over up to 10 years.

What improvements could you make with an interest- free loan? Max Loan Value Solid wall insulation: £ 10,000 Loft, cavity, under floor insulation: £ 1000 Flat roof or room in roof insulation: £ 4000 Gas, LPG and oil boilers, warm air units and electric storage heaters: £ 5000

Double/ triple glazing, secondary glazing and insulated doors: £ 4500 Secondary Measures If installing at least one of the primary measures, you can install the following secondary measures: cylinder thermostat; draught proofing; waste water heat recovery system; flue gas heat recovery system; hot water tank jacket; heating controls. Loans of up to £ 500 per measure are available to help with financing any secondary measures. Who is the scheme for? The loan scheme is open to owner occupiers and registered private sector landlords in Scotland. The repayment period varies based on the amount you borrow but those taking out higher value loans will be able to pay back over 10 years. Is the switching process simple? Yes - you will just need a recent bill which will tell you what tariff you are on and how much energy you use.

You can either put that information into a comparison website or do it by phone. The Scottish Government recently rolled out an impartial supplier- switching support service through a partnership between Home Energy Scotland and the social enterprise Citrus Energy which can be accessed free on 0808 808 2282. Citrus review all suppliers. Do I need to change my meter? No - Although if you have a prepayment meter tariffs are usually more expensive and you should consider switching to a credit meter to save money.

You can ask your supplier to remove a prepayment meter and install a standard meter. Provided you are eligible most suppliers will do this for free but a few may charge so always check with them first. Can I switch if I am renting? If you’re a tenant and are directly responsible for paying your energy bills, you can choose which supplier you use. However, if you decide to switch, you may be required under your tenancy agreement to tell your landlord – so speak to them about it first. I’m in credit or debt with my energy supplier – can I still switch? If you are in credit you should ask your current supplier to refund that money. Once they’ve paid the money they owe, you can switch. If you’re in debt, you may be required to pay what you owe before you can switch. If you are a pre- payment customer you can have a debt of up to £ 500 and still switch. I have a pre- payment meter – can I still switch? Yes. If you use a pre- payment meter, you should be able to switch with a debt of up to £ 500. How much can people save by switching? Ofgem ( the regulator) has published new information which shows how much customers could save by switching. Savings are based on using average amounts of electricity and gas and are given for both changing tariff with the same supplier, or switching to the best tariff in the market, where savings quoted range from £ 134 to £ 252 ( https:// www. ofgem. gov. uk/ consumers/ householdgasand- electricity- guide/ understandyourgas- and- electricity- bills/ energy- plans- what- standard- variableratetariff- and- how- does- it- compare). I don’t want to switch supplier – can I still save money? A large number of homes are on standard variable tariffs, which are typically more expensive than fixed deals. Speak to your supplier to see if there is a cheaper tariff. Who will put my lights back on in a power cut? There is a common misunderstanding about this. In Scotland there are two electricity distribution companies – Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks in the north and SP Energy Networks in the south. If you have a power cut it is the distribution company who will fix it. This is not affected by who you choose to supply your energy. I have solar PV, can I switch? Yes. I have electric heating, can I switch? It depends on your tariff. If it is economy 7, it is easy - other tariffs are more complex. The recent Competition and Markets Authority Investigation is making changes which are due to come into force later in the year.