From Monday 19 December to Friday 23 December (inclusive) we are open usual business hours – 9am – 5pm.

We next reopen on Thursday 29 December until Friday 30 December (inclusive), 9am – 5pm.

We then remain closed until Wednesday 4 January 2023 at 9am.

During opening hours, access to advice face-to-face at one of our offices cannot be guaranteed. Periodically, we arrange drop-in advice sessions where an advisor is made available for walk-in consultations – please check our website and social media channels for more information.

The Home Energy Scotland service – delivered by Scarf in the North East – may still be available outside of these dates and times, with enquiries answered by other advice centres in the network. More information can be found here.

Everyone at Scarf wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

We are working with Langstane Housing Association to distribute a £61,000 fund which was awarded by the Scottish Government Fuel Support Fund and is being administered by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations which encourages a targeted approach to distribution of the fund. The two-phase project will assist tenants struggling with the ongoing rises in energy costs. Phase one will see essential assistance provided to 105 households throughout the North East with their capped gas supplies. Followed by phase two which will see Scarf holding drop-in sessions for Langstane tenants who can obtain free energy advice and home visits.

Scarf is also partnering with AberNecessities, an established charity providing disadvantaged families with the essential and basic necessities that no child should go without. AberNecessities will refer to Scarf to provide their clients with additional support to help them manage their fuel spend and heat their homes as effectively as possible.

CFINE, a food poverty charity with whom Scarf has a long-established partnership, has joined the four-way initiative with Langstane Housing to help provide access to food as part of this package of support for tenants.

[Pictured L-R: Danielle Flecher-Horn, Co Founder of AberNecessities,;Lawrence Johnston, Co-CEO of Scarf; Helen Gauld, Chief Executive of Langstane Housing Association; and Fiona Rae, Chief Executive of CFINE]

The trial taking place involves the health board identifying people most at risk from a cold home due to a pre-existing respiratory condition and who are also struggling to pay their energy bills. Scarf will then get in touch to talk people through the process.

David Mackay, Scarf Co-CEO, said “Once one of our advisors speaks to an individual and outlines the programme, we will aim to have money into their energy accounts, within a fortnight, to ensure they can keep their bedroom and main living area heated to between 18-21°C throughout the winter.

“Participants will be sent thermometers to help them measure how warm their home is, and temperature recorders which will be returned to us at the end of March 2023. This helps us ensure we have paid for the correct amount of fuel.”

Prof Shantini Paranjothy, Consultant in Public Health, said: “We have identified 330 people in Aberdeen to be part of this trial. They are all individuals with respiratory conditions, for whom being in a cold home could have serious consequences. We have written to them all to offer this support and would strongly encourage them to take up the offer.”

Prof Paranjothy added: “Funding for this pilot is not coming from the NHS budget but from a not-for-profit energy innovation hub called Energy Systems Catapult. This is a limited trial this year, focused on Aberdeen and the 330 people we have identified, along with the two other trial areas in London and Tees Valley. We arere pleased to be part of the trial and look forward to seeing the results.”

Further information on the trial is available on the Warm Homes Aberdeen website. The trial is by invitation only; it is not possible for individuals to request to take part. Anyone who receives a letter and wants to check it is a genuine offer should call the NHS Grampian switchboard on 0345 456 6000 and ask to be put through to Healthline.

Householders in Angus with prepayment meters, direct debit accounts, and oil accounts could benefit from financial assistance, thanks to HeatWell, a new scheme to be delivered by Scarf on behalf of Angus Council.

The Scottish Government Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney MSP, recently announced the £80m Local Authority Covid-19 Economic Recovery (LACER) fund to support local economic recovery and provide additional income for low-income households. Angus Council was allocated £1.672m and the social enterprise has successfully secured £400,000 of the funding from Angus Council to provide – subject to eligibility – £147 of fuel vouchers to single occupancy households, or £294 of fuel vouchers to households with families of two or more occupants.

Access to vouchers is subject to further eligibility criteria, including total household income and receipt of benefits. It is anticipated that over 1,300 households will benefit from the Scottish Government-funded programme.

David Mackay, Co-Chief Executive of Scarf, said: “The fuel poverty gap in Angus before the Covid-19 outbreak was £760 but this will have increased due to the national lockdowns put in place during the pandemic. The financial impact of Covid-19 has been made substantially worse with the energy crisis that has impacted households since April.

“As a frontline advice service, we are witnessing first-hand the difficulties householders are facing, with further price increases looming both in October and again early next year. Financial support like this new HeatWell programme can make a substantial difference to a household’s energy spend and general budget.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Our £80 million Covid Economic Recovery Fund, launched in February, empowers councils to consider the needs of local businesses, communities and households, and to target support to help local economies.

“The HeatWell scheme in Angus can make a difference to those struggling to heat their homes this winter and help address the pressures facing local residents.

“We know how difficult the cost of living crisis is for households across Scotland and we will continue to do everything within our resources and powers to help those most affected. We have continually urged the UK Government to use all the powers and financial flexibility at its disposal to tackle this emergency on the scale required.”

Scarf has distributed over £600,000 worth of fuel vouchers in the previous 12 months alone through various funding programmes throughout the North East. Their team of advisors offering over-the-phone and in-home advice will supplement the HeatWell scheme to provide further support, helping households reduce their energy use longer term.

Applications for the scheme can be made on the Grants and Funding section of our website.