Playfair Scotland will help you frame the debate

​I realised what it was the moment I passed some houses in Gracemount Avenue and was impressed. However, it was only when I saw the completed work that included solar panels on homes in Lasswade Road that I realised the extent of the improvement to some local council housing. The homes looked brand new.

What the council’s housing department is doing is putting energy efficient panels around people’s homes and then reharling them.

In addition, solar panels are being installed on the roofs of the homes.

The results look impressive, but more importantly council tenants get the double boost of better insulated, warmer homes and much lower energy bills.

It’s a huge boost to people who live in council housing, many of whom have been struggling in the aftermath of a cost-of-living crisis that has hit families hard.

What’s more, it’s a great move for tackling climate change. Reduced heating bills means reduced CO2 emissions, which all helps the planet.

So, the initiative works on many levels. However, there’s one more benefit that such an initiative brings.

Thousands of homes, many in areas that are less affluent, will have homes that look completely new.

This is a major contribution to regeneration across the city. I well remember the impact of a similar radical change in the Inch area I grew up in.

Back then it was a lick of paint that transformed the area. What were previously grimy homes covered in grime built up from the soot from coal fires and general pollution in suburban ‘Auld Reekie’.

After a lick of paint, the homes and the whole area looked miles better, which is exactly the change that communities across the city can now look forward to. Three cheers for some great, great work.

Read on Edinburgh Evening News