The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES)

CARES supersedes the previous grant scheme SCHRI (Scottish Community & Householder Initiative) and continues the support available for communities in Scotland. It is funded by the Scottish Government and will be managed until May 2012 by Community Energy Scotland and builds on the previous scheme by increasing maximum grant levels by 50% - grants of £150K are now available.

CARES offers grants to a range of community organizations to help with the installation of a variety of renewable energy technologies. Communities can apply for funding for technical assistance and capital grants for renewable energy equipment installation and associated costs. There is no set grant funding with the amount awarded being determined on a case by case basis.

Technical grants

Technical assistance funding is available to support non-capital projects, such as feasibility or scoping studies and capacity building within a community. The maximum grant is £15,000.

Capital grants

Capital grants fund the capital costs of a project, such as installation, project management and other related costs associated with the development and installation of the renewable energy generation plant. The maximum grant available is £150,000.

Dimplex products available for grants:

• Ground source heat pumps
• Air source heat pumps
• Solar thermal hot water

More information is available at www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk