Edinburgh City Council is ready to invest more than £3.5 million into making home life that bit more comfortable for residents.

The local authority has confirmed that it will splash out as much as £3.58 million to ensure that homes across the Scottish capital are warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to heat.

The initiative, which is being run in partnership with Home Energy Scotland, will invest in private homes throughout areas such as South Queensferry and Niddrie Mill.

Residents will benefit from renovations such as cavity walls and loft insulation instalments which, it is hoped, will reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills as well as helping heat homes.

The city council’s Housing Leader Councillor Cammy Day hailed the move and said the move was part of a wider commitment to making life easier for residents.

He said: "It’s a key Capital Coalition commitment to make sure people are well-housed and this initiative will make a major contribution to that by improving energy efficiency and making homes cheaper to heat.

"We know that the cost of heating is hitting poorer households hard and it’s great that we are able to target this investment to help those in the city who are struggling the most.”

A person is defined as living in fuel poverty if they need to spend more than 10 per cent of their household income on heating.

In Edinburgh, it is believed that around 26 per cent of households are fuel poor, with pensioners often being most at risk.