How many (a) households and (b) pensioners' homes in the Renfrewshire Council area are estimated to be eligible for free central heating un…

The central heating programme provides grant to install central heating, insulation and safety alarms in (a) dwellings owned by local authorities and housing associations which currently lack any form of central heating, and (b) dwellings occupied by home owners or private renters where the head of household or spouse is aged 60 or over and the dwelling lacks central heating. In both categories (a) and (b) some householders will be pensioners, but others will not. Information on the number of pensioners and non-pensioners benefiting from the programme is not collected.Renfrewshire Council have estimated that they have around 640 dwellings without central heating. They will be given grant to install central heating in all those dwellings by March 2004. One housing association in the area is taking part in the programme. It estimates that it has 14 dwellings without any form of central heating and, on current plans, it will be given grant to install central heating in them all by March 2004.The managing agents for the programme in the private sector, Eaga, organise data by main postcode area, not local authority area. There is therefore no estimate of the number of owner-occupiers and private renters in the Renfrewshire council area who are eligible for the programme. Neither is the information currently available to make any estimate of demand in the PA (Renfrewshire and Argyll) postcode area. However, 873 heating systems had been installed in the PA area as at 31 December 2002. The managing agents will continue to make every effort to alert eligible households to the offer of free central heating and to encourage them to apply. Those who apply should receive central heating by March 2006.