Heat pump grant Scotland: who is eligible and what you can get

Who is eligible for a heat pump grant in Scotland?

There are three ways to get help with a heat pump in Scotland. Each has its own rules and its own application.

Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme apply in Scotland?

No. GOV.UK says the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is open to people in England and Wales, and points people in Scotland to Scotland's own grants and interest-free loans (GOV.UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme).

The Scottish equivalent is the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan. Its £7,500 heat pump grant matches the Boiler Upgrade Scheme figure, but it works differently. Under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the installer applies and takes the grant off your quote. In Scotland, you apply to Home Energy Scotland and must have a written offer before any work starts. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme also pays £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump, which the Scottish scheme does not fund. For the England and Wales scheme, see our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan for heat pumps

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan is funded by the Scottish Government. For a heat pump it offers:

• A grant of up to £7,500 towards an air, ground or water source heat pump.
• An optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500 on top of the grant.
• An extra £1,500 grant for remote rural, island and off-gas rural homes, as defined by the Scottish Government's Urban Rural Classification. Home Energy Scotland says rural households can claim up to £18,000 in grants across heating and energy efficiency.

Conditions

• You own the home, it is an existing property in Scotland, and you live in it as your only or main residence.
• The heat pump must provide all of the home's heating and hot water. Hybrid, air-to-air and exhaust air heat pumps are not funded.
• Replacing an existing heat pump gets a loan of up to £7,500, not a grant.
• Both the installer and the product must be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
• You do not need a report to show a heat pump suits your home. Insulation measures, by contrast, need an EPC that recommends them.
• You cannot start work until you have the funding offer in writing, and funding is never paid for work already done. Once you have the offer, you have nine months to install and claim.
• Funding is first come, first served, and runs until it is used up or the financial year ends.

If you take the loan, Home Energy Scotland runs affordability and credit checks and charges an administration fee of 1.5% of the loan, up to £150. You can repay over up to 5 years for a loan under £5,000, 10 years for £5,000 to £9,999, and 12 years for more than £10,000.

Apply through Home Energy Scotland or call 0808 808 2282. To find a certified heat pump installer, use the MCS installer search.

Warmer Homes Scotland: heat pumps for households on benefits

Warmer Homes Scotland is the Scottish Government's fuel poverty scheme, managed by Warmworks. Its central heating options include an air source heat pump, alongside a new gas boiler and electric storage heaters. What you are offered depends on the Warmworks assessment of your home, and in most cases the Scottish Government pays the full cost. You must meet all of these:

• You own your home or rent from a private-sector landlord, and it is your main residence.
• You have lived there for at least six months, unless you have an SR1, DS1500 or BASRiS form.
• The home has a poor energy rating, a floor area of 230m2 or less, and is in council tax band A to G.
• Someone in the household is 75 or over with no working heating, has a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate, or gets a passport benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Adult Disability Payment or Scottish Child Payment.

Private tenants need their landlord's permission, and a landlord who must keep the heating working under the Repairing Standard will not get that work funded. Apply through Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282. Our Warmer Homes Scotland guide covers the scheme in full.

Free heat pump in Scotland through ECO4

ECO4 is a Great Britain-wide scheme that obliges energy suppliers to fund heating and energy efficiency upgrades. Ofgem administers it, and it runs until 31 December 2026 (Ofgem). It works the same way in Scotland as in England. A retrofit assessment decides which measures your home gets. That can be an air source heat pump, or it can be insulation, heating controls or a new boiler.

You can qualify in two ways:

• Benefits. Someone in the household gets a qualifying benefit, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Income Support. Ofgem lists the full set on its homeowners and tenants page.
• ECO4 Flex. Your council, or the Scottish Government, refers your household. Ofgem gives examples such as a gross household income under £31,000, or someone with a long-term health condition made worse by a cold home. Each council sets its own criteria, so ask yours whether it is still taking referrals. See the LA Flex scheme guide.

Your home must need energy efficiency upgrades, and tenants need their landlord's permission. Energy suppliers pay for the measures the survey approves, so the work is usually free. In some cases a contribution may be asked for, and we agree it with you in writing first. Being eligible does not guarantee a heat pump or any other measure.

Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd is an ECO4 installer. We survey, install and submit the work, and we are paid by the energy supplier, not by households. We are not government, Ofgem or an energy supplier. Read the ECO4 scheme guide or check your EPC rating first.

Which route should you try first?

• If someone in your home gets a passport benefit, is 75 or over with no working heating, or has a DS1500 or BASRiS form, call Home Energy Scotland about Warmer Homes Scotland first. It usually covers the whole cost.
• If you get a qualifying benefit or can get an ECO4 Flex referral, check ECO4 before it ends on 31 December 2026. Its rules differ from Warmer Homes Scotland, so you may qualify for one and not the other.
• If you own your home, do not get benefits and can pay part of the cost, the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan is the route. Get your written offer before you book the install.
• Funding cannot be blended on the same work, so tell each adviser or installer about any other application.

Not sure a heat pump suits your home? Try the heat pump calculator or read our air source heat pump grant guide.