The East Lammermuir Warm Homes team has shared these updates from Home Energy Scotland and Advice Direct Scotland for residents. Please contact the organisations directly to register, apply or ask for advice.

Free webinar for private landlords and tenants

Support for landlords and tenants: warmer homes, lower bills

Home Energy Scotland is offering a free webinar for private landlords and tenants about making rented homes more energy efficient.

The webinar will cover:

• Small changes that can improve comfort and reduce bills.
• Funding available for energy efficiency improvements.
• Current and upcoming policy for the rental market.

There will be time for questions, and you can submit questions when registering.

Tuesday 3 November 2026
Choose either 12–12.45pm or 6–6.45pm.

Register for the Home Energy Scotland webinar

Help with oil and LPG heating costs

Advice Direct Scotland has advised that the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme has been extended into the winter months.

The scheme supports households struggling with the cost of heating their homes using oil or liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Payments will be made directly to the supplier wherever possible.

Who can apply?

You must:

• Be the bill payer for a home where oil or LPG is the main heating fuel.
• Live in the property as your only or main residence.
• Have purchased fuel after 1 April 2026, or be planning to place an order shortly.

Automatic qualification

If you meet the conditions above, the information supplied by Advice Direct Scotland lists the following benefits for automatic qualification:

• Universal Credit, including Scottish Child Payment.
• Housing Benefit.
• Income Support.
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• Income-based Employment Support Allowance.
• Pension Credit.

Other households may also qualify

You may qualify through a discretionary decision if you are in financial hardship, do not receive a low-income benefit and are at risk of limiting your heating because of cost.

You must also have one or more additional needs or circumstances, such as:

• A greater need for heating because of health, disability, illness, recent hospital discharge or end-of-life care, or because someone in the household is under five or over 75.
• A greater need for heating because of your location or rural circumstances.
• Other vulnerability, such as debt, waiting for a benefits decision or appeal, a major life event or recent bereavement.

How to apply

Visit homeheatingadvice.scot for full details and to apply online, or call 0800 048 7413 for help.