The Scottish Government is providing an extra £5 million to households to encourage more people to generate green energy.

The loan is part of a microgeneration strategy to help people install small-scale heat and energy technologies in homes, businesses and schools.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “This work can help contribute to Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy, it can support jobs in Scotland and create new ones and it can help energy efficiency, reducing bills and taking more households out of fuel poverty.”

The fund will be available from August and is expected to help meet Scotland’s target of at least 100,000 homes using some form of renewable heating system by 2020.