New grant funding is available to crofters in Scotland to help with high energy costs.

Through an extension to the Scottish Government's Croft House Grant, crofters can now apply for grants of up to £38,000 towards the costs of home improvements which will help them save energy. Measures include loft or wall insulation, new zero direct emissions heating systems or upgraded windows and doors.

In addition to energy efficiency measures, the grant scheme can also support crofters to build new homes. The Scottish Government said the move will allow crofters to maximise the full potential of their crofts and to retain and attract people to remote and rural communities.

Over the past year, the Scottish Government has awarded more than £1m in grant funding to help crofters across Scotland build and improve their homes. Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, said: “The climate emergency and energy crisis has highlighted the need for energy efficiency improvements to existing housing stocks.

“There are approximately 21,400 crofts in Scotland, and many of these have existing houses which have not been built to the high energy efficiency standards required today. Crofting plays such an important part in the long-term sustainability of our rural and island areas, and crofters in remote and rural areas are disproportionately affected by high energy costs and the cost of living."

In its National Development Plan for Crofting, published in 2021, the Scottish Government committed to continuing to invest in works that improve the energy efficiency of current and future croft homes.