Review of the energy assistance package

This report summarises the findings of a review of the Scottish Government's Energy Assistance Package conducted by researchers from the Sustainable Urban Environments Research Group, Glasgow Caledonian University, in September and October 2012. It is based on the results of 18 semi-structured interviews, conducted under conditions of anonymity with 25 participants from 14 key stakeholder organisations, backed by a wider review of publicly available and confidential evidence identified by the researchers or supplied by those involved in managing and delivering EAP. The review had been carried out as the EAP contract was due to expire on 31 August 2013. Options for what would happen after 1 April 2013 were principally constrained by the design of ECO and Green Deal by the UK Government. However, this review considered what might be retained and what might be reformed to ensure the Scottish Government maximises the benefits to customers of any future Scottish schemes. Whilst it was not within our remit to present recommendations on the future of EAP or any other schemes, all participants suggested some improvements where they had encountered issues with EAP. These suggestions are presented either where they are clearly indicative of the views of the majority, or where they offer a particularly specialist insight into a problem