Chamber and committees

The following table sets out the total number of rural uplift applications approved, and the total number paid through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme between September 2022 and October 2023, broken down by local authority area.

Applicants have 9 months to complete works and claim their funding from the date that their funding application is approved. This means that payments to applicants are often made in the months following their application approval, which is why the numbers paid will not be equal to the numbers approved.

The Scottish Government will continue to keep our schemes under review and working closely with stakeholders and our delivery partners will adjust as required to ensure that the outcomes delivered can be maximised for the funding allocated to them.

We do not run marketing campaigns that specifically seek to target people over 55. Our campaigns promote our offer of support to those who need support heating their homes as well as potential early adopters of heat pumps. As those campaigns are evaluated we will look at the impact across a range of groups.

As outlined in the response to question S6W-22651, applicants have 9 months to complete works and claim their funding from the date that their funding application is approved. This means that payments to applicants are often made in the months following their application approval.

Approved funding applications will not be paid if the applicant fails to submit a valid claim for the approved amount of their application.

From the launch of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme in December 2022 to September 2023, 1013 unique installers were listed on applications to the scheme.

The following table shows the number of unique installers that have been listed on applications to the scheme in each local authority area:

The Scottish Government has not undertaken economic modelling on this particular point. We will continue to engage with the sector in ensuring it can respond to the increasing take up of clean heating systems over the next decades, including undertaking economic analysis if this is appropriate.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified installers who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk)

We continue to make progress against the actions outlined within the Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan. In November 2022 we launched the Green Heat Innovation Support Programme and the Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme . More recently we fulfilled our commitment to launch a new Mobile Heat Pump Training centre .

Proposals have progressed for a Green Heat Manufacturing Hub following the call issued by Scottish Enterprise in December 2022. A full and final proposal is now in development and is expected in early 2024.

In addition, we continue to explore options for a supplier-led funding scheme, which has the potential to support supply chain growth. We are currently engaging with the clean heat sector to understand appetite for such a scheme and the associated potential barriers and opportunities.

Our technology-neutral approach to decarbonising homes across Scotland will enable home owners to choose the technology which is right for them, which may in many instances be a heat pump.

Although heat pumps are much more efficient than gas boilers, their running costs depend upon the price of electricity as well as the efficiency of the heat pump. This is why we continue to call for urgent action by the UK Government to use its reserved powers to rebalance energy prices and ensure that the running costs of clean heating systems are comparable to gas and other polluting systems.

We are proposing that homes across Scotland, where technically feasible and cost effective, will need to meet an energy efficiency standard by the end of 2033. Cost-effective energy efficiency measures will keep homes warmer and reduce the running costs of the home’s heating system.

We have a broad range of delivery programmes to provide advice and support for property owners. Through Home Energy Scotland, households can now claim grant funding of up to £18,000 (in rural homes) or £15,000 (in non-rural areas) to install clean heating and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Our fuel poverty programme, Warmer Homes Scotland, offers households clean heating systems where doing so would not increase running costs. Where clean heating systems are not appropriate, the assessor will recommend a suitable package of insulation and/or other heating options.

Our consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill includes a commitment to ensure that the right protections are in place to enable a transition which is just, fair and effective.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken economic modelling on this particular point. We will continue to engage with the sector in ensuring it can respond to the increasing take up of clean heating systems over the next decades, including undertaking economic analysis if this is appropriate.